7 Things You MUST DO in Your Evening Routine for Moms
Do you wake up tired and feeling stressed about your day? You need an evening routine for moms that works for you!
This simple evening routine checklist is just what you need!
As a busy mom, it is often challenging to find time for yourself amidst the chaos of managing a household and taking care of your children.
However, having a simple evening routine can help you wind down and prepare for the next day.
Follow this easy checklist to create your evening routine that will leave you feeling more relaxed and in control, making sure your morning time will be productive and stress-free.
Things to consider when creating an evening routine….
I truly believe to have a great morning, starts the night before with a good evening routine. I love to jump-start my day with a good morning workout before my kids get up.
To have the energy to get out of bed in the morning, I need to have a solid evening routine that consists of a good night’s sleep. They go hand-in-hand.
Your evening routine needs to be flexible as different seasons will require a tweak in your evening routine.
Make sure your evening routine is personal to you and how you want to spend your evening. Copying someone else’s routine will be very hard to enjoy if it is things you don’t want to do.
Evening Routine Ideas for Moms
1. Tidy Up
Before settling down for the night, take a few minutes to tidy up and have a clean house. Clear away any clutter and put things back in their designated places.
Start the dishwasher every night, regardless if it is a full load. This little routine of washing dishes nightly is a game changer in going to bed with your kitchen reset.
No one likes to wake up to yesterday’s mess.
This will not only make your home look neater but also help you start the next day on a clean slate.
2. Prepare for Tomorrow
Take a few minutes to plan for the next day.
Lay out your clothes, pack your bag, start packing lunch boxes for your kids, fill the water bottles, make a to-do list, and do some quick meal planning & meal prep for the next day.
This will make a world of difference in the morning when things can get hectic, especially if you have young kids or school-age kids.
Related Post: 5 hacks to meal prep
3. Set Time to Relax
As a busy mom, you most likely spent your entire day serving. Part of my evening routine always consists of free time and a good self-care routine.
After a hectic day, your mind and body need some downtime. A warm bath or shower can help relax your muscles and calm your mind after a long day.
Add some essential oils or Epsom salts for added relaxation benefits. This is also a great time to pamper yourself with a face mask or some other self-care activity.
I love doing a home mani or pedi with my gel kit that I swear by while watching my favorite TV show.
Nighttime rituals will fuel your soul, wash off the worries of the day, and prepare you for a better tomorrow. Make sure relaxing and unwinding is part of your regular evening routine.
4. Read or Listen to Music
Instead of scrolling through social media before bed, try reading a book or listening to calming music. Having some quiet time will help you unwind and destress from the day’s events.
5. Turn Off Electronics
Want to get better sleep? Make it a rule to turn off all electronics at least an hour before bedtime.
The blue light from screens can disrupt your sleep patterns, making it harder for you to fall asleep or keeping you from having a good deep sleep. Instead, spend the time with your family or engage in a relaxing activity.
Science shows there is so much benefit in your mental health from limiting your screen time.
6. Practice Gratitude
Take a moment to reflect on the good things that happened throughout the day and express gratitude for them. This will help you end the day positively and maintain a positive mindset.
Being a mom is hard, often times unrewarding and if left to our own thoughts we can quickly become depressed and start to hate being a mom.
I have found in my own life, when I practice being grateful, my attitude changes and being a mom can feel less hard and more rewarding.
7. Get Enough Sleep
Make sure to get enough sleep to recharge your body for the next day. Aim for at least 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. You’ll wake up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day ahead.
Take Melatonin 30 minutes before you go to bed to help with sleep.
If you are in the season where your kids are constantly waking you up throughout the night, getting to bed earlier is very important.
This is why you have to adjust your evening routine based on the season you are in.
Having sleep schedules and consistent wake up and bed time routines for your kids will help in establishing good sleep habits for them too.
Related Post: Establishing Sleep Schedules
Simple nighttime routine recap
Creating a simple evening routine may seem like just another task on your already long to-do list.
But it can be a much-needed break from the chaos and stress of daily life.
By following this checklist, you’ll be able to relax, recharge, and prepare for the next day as a busy mom with ease. Remember, taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your family.
So, don’t neglect this crucial part of your daily routine. So go ahead and give it a try tonight! You deserve it.
Remember to keep it simple, make adjustments as needed, and enjoy the benefits of a more peaceful evening routine.
Your future self will thank you for it! Happy unwinding!
Benefits & Goals of an Evening Routine for Moms:
An effective evening routine helps reduce stress, anxiety, and sleepless nights, so the following day can be successful. And as a busy mom, we all need our mornings to feel easier, more enjoyable, with less tears.
This simple evening routine for moms checklist will help you do just that.
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Sample Routines For Busy Moms
Here is what my daily working mom evening routine looks like.
I am a busy part-time working mom of 4 kids, ages 9 and under, with a set of 6 year old twins.
Before 6 pm:
1. No caffeine after 4:00 pm
Caffeine directly impacts sleep. To avoid being awake till 2 a.m. tossing and turning with your brain unable to shut off, stop having caffeine before 4 p.m.
2. Close out the “work” day
As a part-time working mom, I write down everything that is weighing on me before I leave work for the day. I want to transition to mom life and be a present mom in the evenings with my kids.
If you are a stay-at-home mom, have a transition time in your day. Mom life has never-ending tasks, but you need a time in the day where you transition, call it a “day” and know you can get to those items tomorrow.
Allow the kids to watch some TV or do some Individual Play Time, and write down everything that is weighing on you from the day.
- Unfinished daily tasks
- to-do lists
- errands for the next day
- things you want to make sure you discuss with hubby
Do this so you can walk into your evening not distracted as you transition to start prepping dinner. Turn on music, have a glass of wine or more water.
3. Be mindful of your alcohol intake
I love a nice chilled glass of Chardonnay as I cook dinner with my “Country Faith” playing on Apple Radio, so no shame in that game. But I do believe balance and boundaries are key.
Alcohol will make you drowsy and it will not give you a restful deep sleep that your body needs to feel rejuvenated the next day. I try to minimize my alcohol intake in the evenings.
4. Have a healthy meal
We are intentional about our family sitting down together around our large dining room table for family dinner. We truly cherish this time together.
Cooking dinner after a long day of kids or working is hard to do.
Meal Prepping and meal planning make a huge difference. I usually do most of my meal prepping on Sunday in my Sunday Reset Routine.
Our kids are busy with sports and after-school activities, so we get creative and are intentional about eating together as a family.
After many years of getting frustrated and getting into disagreements with my husband over trying to eat healthier, we found HomeChef! It’s been a game changer for our marriage and cooking healthy meals.
If you feel you are at your wits end with trying to eat healthier and it hasn’t clicked yet, I would highly encourage a meal service plan, like HomeChef. We are 3 years strong, faithful, and happy customers!
After 6 pm:
5. Pick up the house
Pick up our house and reset it back to a clean slate.
It’s a team effort in our household. All our children clear their plates from the table and take them to the kitchen sink.
- Everyone helps in the clean-up process
- Load and start the dishwasher
- Clean and wipe down counters
- Sweep floors
We then go through the house, bathrooms, and kids’ bedrooms to make sure they are all picked up.
I will also check on the laundry and see if any clothes need folding or putting away.
Related post: Laundry hacks for busy moms
6. Prepare for the next day
I try to get this out of the way as soon as possible. The later it gets, the more tired I become, and will start justifying and telling myself that I don’t need to do these few simple tasks, oh but I do!
Because the more prepared I am for the next day, the easier my morning will be.
And that’s the goal of an evening routine: to simplify your next day’s morning so you don’t feel so stressed and chaotic trying to get out the door.
So I will do the following things:
- Pack bags (kids help)
- Pack lunches
- Make sure homework is in backpacks and completed (correctly)
- Set the coffee maker so it’s ready for the next morning
- Pick out clothes. For the twins (and younger kids I recommend doing this on Sunday) Check out Sunday Reset Routine
7. kids’ bedtime routine
Bedtime routines and having a set “end of the day” for your kids are crucial.
Right now we start bedtime around 7 pm for the twins and 8 pm for the older kids.
We read, brush our teeth, get in jammies, make sure bedrooms are picked up, do bedtime prayers, and do lots of snuggles with Mom and Dad. (x4 kids)
Hubby and I divide and conquer.
Having set bedtimes and wake times allows me as a mom to have some “me” time.
I’m a big believer in having sleep schedules so everyone gets good sleep we all desperately need!
Related Post: Creating Sleep Schedules
8. Make To Do lists
Look at the next day’s schedule and think through what needs to be done.
Follow techniques in Mom’s make list that are very helpful to keep you organized.
As I look at my next day schedule I visualize what my day will look like so I can start to plan for a great day.
9. Quality time with Hubby
The days fly by and we have to prioritize and be intentional to have some quality time together.
- Watch a favorite show together
- Connect and chat about our day
One hour before bed:
10. Put screens down
This is an area that I am trying to get better in. I know how good it is for me when I put the phone down and don’t look at a screen 1 hour before I go to bed. I believe this and want this but all too often succumb to looking at my phone right before bed.
Put your phone in another room or across the room from you, it will help with the temptation to get on it right before bed.
11. Wind down Time
- Read a book
- Journal / reflect / practice gratitude
- Self-care time (bath, skincare routine, home mani or pedi)
- Listen to music
12. Get needed rest (7+ hours of sleep)
Set your alarm for your morning routine wake-up time. Getting enough sleep will help you feel rested, think clearly, and be ready for the day ahead.
My wake-up time is 5:30 am, so I like to be in bed no later than 10:00 pm, which allows me some wiggle room to make sure I’m sound asleep by 10:30 pm.
It’s good to go to bed around the same time every night and to make your room dark with a comfortable temperature.
Are you ready to start your own weekday evening routine?
Sometimes seeing someone else’s routine gives you motivation to start one for yourself.
I have seen the benefit in my morning when I consistently stick to my evening routine. Having a simple night time routine is the best way to start your morning on the right foot.
What are you going to add to your evening routine?
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