Daily routines are one way we can work to ensure we take proper care of ourselves.  They help us ensure we complete the most essential self-care tasks. And while morning routines tend to get a lot of press, and understandably so – if you have a solid morning routine you set yourself up for a stellar day – evening routines play a crucial role in helping up start the next day on the right foot.

Doesn’t make sense to draw our day to a close in a way that sets us up for a great tomorrow?  The answer is an obvious and resounding yes.  But most of us don’t spend a lot of time on an evening routine.  We might come home, eat dinner, watch some TV, run the kids around, or help with homework, and then at some point crash for the night.  Usually there is not an intentional routine, but rather a haphazard series of events.  Sound familiar?

While your evening routine doesn’t need to be as elaborate or lengthy as your morning routine might be, you really should have one.  Setting up a few intentional items as a part of an evening routine can, just like your morning routine, help you in a myriad of ways. 

Here’s what mine currently looks like:

1. Preparation – for me this part includes washing my face, putting my pjs on, picking out clothes for the next day, making sure I have everything ready to go for the next day.
2. Winding down – this is the part where I kick back and relax a little doing some of the things I enjoy.  Some days I might read, watch a movie, write a blog post, meditate, or do a series of yoga poses to help me prepare to go to sleep.
3. Drifting off – when it is time for bed I brush my teeth, say a gratitude prayer, turn on some soft music (I prefer the Calm app – they have a wide variety of music to help you drift off to sleep), and curl up in bed for a good night’s sleep.

Now granted, I don’t have children, so my evening routine looks quite different from someone who is a parent, but the basic structure of an evening routine is there for you to fill in the blanks with things that resonate with your life.  And this routine can take place in as little as 30 minutes or for as long as I prefer…though on average it is about an hour.

As with morning routines, things can change a bit from day to day, but the core components are always present.  What’s important is to have items in your routines (both your morning and evening routines) that fill you up, make you feel good, and set you up for success in some way.  You don’t have to have something in your routines just because I or anyone else happens to do that in theirs.  Make your routines your own and the positive changes and successes will follow.

Let us know the most delightful part of your evening routine.  We love hearing what others do as it inspires and enlightens us – we often learn how to improve our own routines by hearing what others do.