Get a good evening routine for better productivity

So, how’s your evening routine?

I absolutely believe a good evening routine is the key to getting a good night sleep and it sets you up so that you’re ready for a more productive day the next day.

Combine a good evening routine with a good morning routine  and life will get so much easier for you, particularly if you currently struggle with time-management.

Get an evening routine that really works for you

Okay, so I’ve shared some ideas to get you thinking below, but ultimately only you know what sort of evening routine will work for you.  Maybe there are other things you need to do that I haven’t thought about.  Just make a list of the things you need to do, decide on an evening routine and stick with it.

Clear up after your evening meal then keep it tidy

The evening routine really starts after the evening meal.  Clear up completely after the evening meal and give the kitchen a tidy around. Getting up to a clean and tidy kitchen is so much nicer than getting up to a messy kitchen and last night’s dirty dishes, YUCK!!!

Make sure all family members know that anything they use in the evening must be washed and put away before bedtime.  I’m a big fan of training kids early, so don’t let your kids just leave their supper things for you to tidy away.

Prepare for the day ahead

Anything that you can prepare the night before, do it.  So for me, that’s things like doing the pack up for my son (or getting him to do it), bags packed and ready to go, school uniform ready for my son and an outfit ready for me.

Also, think about your meals for the next day.  What meals are you going to cook?  Do you need to take anything out of the freezer to defrost?

Plan the next day

As a business owner and mum, I find this essential.

• Check your calendar and diary
• List your top 3 priority task for the day (business)
• Fill in your hourly planner
• Add your meal in so that you’re not scrambling about trying to put a meal together at the last minute (I use an 8-day weekly meal planner)
• Think about school/afterschool activities

Have a regular bedtime

In general, I recommend that you have a regular bedtime.  Of course as adults, this isn’t always possible but if you can at least during the week (business days/school days).  Your body will soon get used to wanting to go to sleep at the regular time.

I encourage you to get enough sleep on a regular basis.  Read Sleep to improve productivity

Do a quick sweep around before bed

Get every family member involved in this.  If your kids go to bed at 8pm, get them to do a quick sweep before they go upstair.  All this means is they simply pick up any of their things such as toys, books, shoes… and put them where they belong before bed.

Your own quick sweep is to ensure you leave each room nice and tidy before you head off to bed.  So we’re not talking about cleaning, just a quick pick up, straighten up.

If you have bits and bobs that you want to keep in a certain room, such as the living room, consider using baskets to keep the area looking tidy.

End your day on a positive note

I believe that ending your day and starting your day on a positive note are the two most positive things you can do on a daily basis.

Here are a few ideas.

• Keep a gratitude journal
• Keep an achievements journal
• Focus on the positive things about the day
• Focus on what you’re looking forward to the next day
• Practice affirmations
• Practice visualizations
• Pray, give thanks, ask for support
• Ask for what you want to attract into your life
• Listen to a hypnosis download
• Listen to positive affirmations

That’s it.  Well, at least these are my tips.  I’d love to hear if you have more tips and what you think about the tips I’ve shared today.