Hello!
We talk about morning routines a lot, as I did here some weeks ago. But we often overlook evening routines, which are also very important.
What do we do in the evenings? Let’s say you come from work and what do you do? Personally, I come home, play with my cat, eat dinner or drink tea while watching TV or spending time on social media and then sleep. What is lacking in this pattern? Self-care or quality me-time.
I think we need to develop a good self-care and reflection routine before we go to sleep. I often scroll on social media before I go to sleep, which is not in line with that. Ideally, I would read some books to wind down (which I sometimes do), meditate, reflect on my day as to what I did good and what I can do better tomorrow. This would prepare me for a more peaceful sleep. But I am usually still activated mentally before sleep, so my sleep is sometimes as restless. If that happens, I am tired the day after and I have a bad day (which affects my sleep the next day. See the vicious circle).
That being said, I believe we still could (or even should) watch TV or do mindless scrolling in the evening. I love doing these. But the idea is that we should not take them to bed. Just spending the last hour or half hour of the day away from stimulators. Keeping these in mind, the following could be a good evening routine (PS: Note to self):
6 pm-7 pm: come home, prepare dinner, play with children or pets
7 pm-8 pm: eat dinner, watch TV
8 pm-9 pm: drink tea, social media
9 pm-10 pm: reading, meditation, reflection
10 pm: sleep
I will strive to do this myself, but you can develop your own evening routine and try follow that!
Let’s talk about evening routines: Do you have one? If yes, what does it look like? If no, what are your current and ideal evening routines? Let’s discuss!
I am lucky to work remotely from home but my routine is:
430 pm- Start dinner (I generally work from 7 am – 4 or 5 pm)
6 pm- Dinner with family
730 pm – Watch tv
9 pm- Blogging and social media
1030 pm- Getting settled in bed
This is a great routine! I wish I could leave work earlier too! That gives you a lot more time for a good evening.
Good reminders about winding down before bed. I’m an early bird when it comes to work, and I get pretty mind-foggy in the afternoons. I find that after an afternoon break, and brief work session in the early evening allows me to catch up. Then I can wind down before bed. Everybody’s different. Thanks for the post!
This is a nice pattern too! And yes, everyone is different!
Yes I also have an evening routine and it does help me to wind down, relax, and prepare for a good night’s sleep. Good article too. Thank you.
What is your routine like?
this sounds a bit like my day but we watch a couple funny shows before going to be. read for a little before the shows. she spends time on social media before reading.
Everyone is different!
You’ve made me think about how we retired pensioners try to avoid as many routines as possible now that we can! No dependents living with us and generally we’re free as to when we go to bed and when we get up. Bliss! The fewer rules the better and we are lucky in that we can now take advantage of that .. finally!
That said, it’s interesting how our bodies need some routine, despite the freedom. For instance, we now eat our evening meal earlier than we used to – digestive systems don’t tolerate late meals as well anymore! Body feels sluggish if it’s had little exercise. But if we’ve not slept well for some reason there’s usually opportunity to have an afternoon nap. The fewer routines and rules the better but I do know friends who maintain those rules and routines established years ago because their bodies are used to them.
Interesting post 🙏🏼
I agree that some amount of routine is always needed for good functioning. But too much of it can hinder improvement or good change too. So we need to find a good balance that fits our current needs and wants. Thanks for sharing this perspective!
Your condensed description of your evening routine made me wonder: do you first eat and then watch tv? Do you eat while watching tv? Is that a time that you share your thoughts and use the tv show to spark the conversation? How does your family agree on what show to watch?
Thanks for sparking so many questions!
I live alone, so I watch TV on my own. When I watch it depends on the day. Mostly, I watch it when I am eating dinner. Sometimes, I watch after, when I am drinking my evening tea. And I tend to get concentrated on what I am watching, so I don’t talk much about the shows even when I am watching it with other people.
I do have an evening routine and it’s my favorite time of day.
6:00- I get in from work. I usually read and make myself a cup of tea.
6:30- I start supper.
7:30- My husband comes home and we eat supper.
8:00- I read.
9:00-I shower and get ready for bed.
9:30-I read in bed until I fall asleep.
What a nice evening!
I am a early riser and am usually at my writing desk by 6.30am. By about 6pm my brain is done. Evenings for me are listening to music or watching a good boxset on the television. I try not to use any laptop, phone, tablet after about 8pm, then it is bed by 9pm and a good book for an hour before sleep. I find this routine helps to get a good night’s sleep and waking fresh and alert for the next day.
This actually sounds perfect to me! What are some tips to keep consistency with this routine?
Planning the day helps, Betul. I also think knowing when to make the best of our creative cycles. I am more productive with writing in the earlier part of the day. Afternoons I use for research/editing/admin. Exercise / diet and nutrition also play a big part. I make sure I have some exercise planned into a writing day.
Good advice! I am more productive and creative in the mornings too and I started noticing the effect of diet recently!
I wake up usually about 6.30/ 7 am. I unfortunately suffer broken sleep due to the menopause! So by around 5/6pm I’m done with the day! I collect my son from school, do dinner, wash up and on a Tuesday goto meditation for self care. I usually unwind with a book, a bath, a bit of TV. I always make sure though before I goto sleep, I send out gratitude for my day 🙏.
I dont know why it posted anon as have my own blog here lol.
Oh that is weird
Perfect!
I look forward to a good night sleep and entering into the Dreamtime every night. Getting out in Nature alone and unplugging is a recharging self-care regimen as well.
Definitely!
I enjoyed reading this. I struggle with evening routines, my son is not on a schedule and we simply just follow whatever it is he is feeling that day.
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Sent you a request! And it is tough when you rely on others to schedule yourself, which is the case for mothers and fathers