Routines: My Evening Routine

 

In trying to re-establish a sense of normal around here, I decided to revamp my routines. Because I'm pretty familiar with the Flylady routines, I am able to do this quickly. Yesterday evening, I decided to write out and begin an evening routine. As I've mentioned before, I love lists! I also love the old-fashioned method of putting pen to paper. So, that's exactly what I did.

According to the Flylady website, the evening routine is the most important routine of the day. I couldn't agree more! When I consistently complete my evening routine, the next morning just goes so much smoother. Not much puts a halt on a smooth morning routine faster than having to stop and do something that should have been done the night before!

So, what is my evening routine? Glad you asked! Let's jump right in. We start our evening routine right after dinner.

Kitchen Duty

This isn't something I usually do myself, but I do make sure it gets done. Since I cook the meals, hubby has made a rule that I don't clean up. Our 3 boys take care of dishes and dinner clean-up. This includes putting food away, dishes, wiping up counters/stovetop/table, sweeping the floor, and changing the garbage if necessary.

Pick up the house

Once Kitchen Duty is done and has passed my inspection, everyone will go around and pick up the house. Nothing deep here. Just patrolling the main living areas and putting things away that have been left out.

Showers

After the house is taken care of, any of the kiddos that hasn't taken a shower yet that day will take one in the evening. They will also brush their teeth at this time.

Lay out clothes for tomorrow

Meanwhile, I will go decide on tomorrow's outfit and lay it all out on my dresser. I don't always remember to do this, but when I do, I swear it saves me time in the morning!

Get breakfast items ready

This could mean a make-ahead breakfast. Or it could be as simple as noting what I'm planning on and making sure there's bacon thawing in the fridge. I will also set the table for breakfast if we plan on eating there, but we usually don't.

Get coffee ready

This is possibly the most important item in my evening routine!

Take bedtime supplements

I have no bedtime medications, but I do have a couple of supplements that just work best if I take them at the end of the day.

Daily Light

If we didn't read our devotional for dinner, we will read it now.

Bedtime prayers

And finally, we say prayers together as a family and the younger kiddos head off to dreamland. The oldest can go to bed pretty much whenever he wants, but he's good about being mindful to get a decent amount of sleep for his busy days.

So, this is the routine that I think will work for our household at the moment. Will it be perfect? Probably not! Will it all always get done? I highly doubt it! But, just having it in place and forming the habit is a huge improvement to the chaos that would normally ensue in the morning. It has definitely changed over the years, and that's okay! It kind of has to with the many different stages of life. You have to find what works for you. 

I hope I've inspired you to make an evening routine. Start small if you're new to the concept! Just like baby-stepping to your goals, start with one or two things until you've got them down, then add another. And, I encourage you to go visit Flylady's Before-Bed Routine page if you would like more inspiration and help setting up your routine.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading. I hope you visit again soon!