My Evening Routine to Create a Better Day

Having an evening routine can set you up for an amazing day. Here’s my evening routine and how it keeps me productive!

There are two things that I firmly believe:

One: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and sets me up for a successful day.

Two: Having a good evening and bedtime routine is key to having a better tomorrow.

When you have ADHD, planning becomes crucial for success. And unfortunately, that’s where a lot of us struggle!

Luckily, time and consistency can help you set up good habits. And that’s what I’ve done over the past few years- practicing and experimenting with evening habits until I find a method that works.

Below, I outline my ideal evening routine. These are things I do at the end of the day to make sure that I function correctly the next day. And while your own night routine may look different, the list below can at least help give you good ideas.

Benefits of a nighttime routine

It seems like such a little thing, but creating a routine can help in so many ways:

• Creates successful mornings by preventing decision fatigue and gives you a clean slate to work from
• Helps keep you from forgetting important items
• Helps you have a productive day because you know what to do
• Helps you sleep better by releasing that stress

Load the dishwasher

My husband typically washes the dirty dishes for us, which I’m SUPER grateful for. I do what I can during the day, but there are always dinner dishes to clean at the end of a long day.

I love waking up in the mornings to a clean kitchen, with an empty sink and cleared countertops. That little thing can help create a more peaceful day.

Prep my morning coffee

The first thing I do after waking up is grab coffee. It’s become a crucial part of my morning routine and I just grab it without thinking.

One thing that made my life easier was getting a coffee pot with a timer. Every evening I’ll fill the coffee maker with water, pour some coffee grounds in, and press the button to schedule it to brew at 4:00 AM.

Yes, I’m up at 4:30 every morning, regardless if I’m able to sleep in or not. But it helps set me up for a good day and I’m most productive in the mornings!

The hardest part for a little while was remembering one of the steps in the coffee-making process. Like actually filling it with water on a regular basis. Or pressing the button to schedule it. I’m much better at it now, but that took a little practice!

Plan my schedule for the next day

If I don’t know what I’m doing the following day, I’ll honestly just wander around aimlessly. I mean, I’ll get SOME stuff done. But I need to know what’s happening, what work needs to get done, and what I need to do for dinner.

First I look at my calendar to see if I have any appointments. Then I look over my weekly to-do list and plan my work based on the time that’s left.

I used to plan hour-by-hour but realized that doesn’t work for me. I’d get frustrated when I couldn’t get that task accomplished in time, and that would throw off my other tasks.

Now I sort my tasks based on energy levels. Since I have the most energy in the mornings, I’ll schedule the tasks that use the most brainpower. Things like writing and creating video. And afternoons are for things I can do without much thought, like editing a video or organizing photos.

Pick up the living room floor

Our living room is basically the central location of our house. It’s where we spend the most time, so obviously it gets cluttered pretty quickly.

I get frustrated and overwhelmed when I walk out in the mornings and see the mess. When there’s clutter on the outside, I feel cluttered on the inside and can’t focus.

So now, I’ve tasked us with picking up the stuff on the floor every evening. The backpack gets put away, the books and games go back where they belong… they’re all little things, but seeing the empty space makes such a huge difference.

In bed by 8:30 PM

This might seem crazy to a lot of you. But I’m a morning person, not a night owl. I get tired starting at 8:00, so that’s my cue to get ready for bed.

Now, I’m not asleep at 8:30. I use that time to catch up with my husband, to talk about our day and make plans for the next day. But we’re usually asleep by 9:00. And that leaves enough time to get a good night’s sleep to wake up again at 4:30 AM.

Most of us don’t get enough sleep, so I’m pretty intentional about getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night.

Another thing I TRY to do but am not good at is put down my cell phone after 8:00. The blue light can mess with your circadian rhythm, which affects your melatonin production and can keep you from sleeping.

Social media calls me and it’s hard to resist. But I know that after a busy day, I need to put down that phone and get some quality time with my husband.

Final thoughts

Our routines will vary in different ways, depending on the season of life you’re in. Maybe you have small kids and just need a simple evening routine. Or maybe you have the energy to do all the things the night before.

The important thing is to stick with your routine! We’re creatures of habit so we tend to slip. And that’s okay! Setting up new habits takes time and it won’t happen suddenly. But a consistent evening routine will give you such a sense of peace.

I encourage you to do a brain dump of all the things you want to get done, and sorting them into the most important things you can do each evening to make the next day easier.

What is part of your typical evening routine? Leave a comment and let me know!