These evening routine ideas will have you romanticizing the later hours of the day.
Evenings have a special place in my heart. While I love the energy of mornings, I enjoy the peace and calm the end of a day brings. Having certain routines set in place can help to ensure said peace and calm. Here’s a compilation of evening routine ideas to inspire the ones in your life:
EVENING ROUTINE IDEAS
1. Making dinner routine
Making dinner is the first task that signifies to me that I am entering the evening part of the day. I love this time because I enjoy cooking, but also because it’s a time for me to decompress from the main part of my day. I find that working with my hands helps to unwind my mind because I’m so focused on what I’m doing. Two other things that I do during this time that I highly recommend you try is 1.) listen to music or a podcast and 2.) sip on a “fancy” beverage as you cook. I usually sip on some kombucha or make a mocktail with seltzer water, a True Lime packet, and tart cherry juice.
2. Eating dinner routine
Once dinner is ready, it’s time to eat. One thing to decide is where you’re going to eat: At the dining table? On a tray table in the living room? At your desk in your bedroom? And besides eat, what do you do during your meal? This will vary greatly between person to person, mostly depending on whether you live by yourself, with a significant other, or your family. Do you pull up some YouTube videos you’ve been meaning to watch? Or do you engage in conversation with your family, talking about the pits and peaks of your day? Maybe you prefer to eat in silence, to be completely mindful of what you’re eating. However you eat your dinner, make sure you’re nourishing both your body and soul with good food and good company.
3. Clearing the table routine
No matter where you eat your dinner, I recommend that you take a few minutes to clean up your space. Clear your plate and put your dishes and cups in the sink. It’s also a good idea to wipe away the crumbs and splatters from the surfaces you ate on so they don’t build up into a huge mess as the week goes on.
4. Cleaning the kitchen routine
The kitchen, more likely than not, is the most used space in your home. This is especially true if you stay at home all day caring for your children, or even if you get to work from home. In this way, cleaning the kitchen at the end of the day is a necessity. We’ve all had those mornings where we go to make breakfast, only to find the kitchen an untouched disaster from the day before — and that doesn’t feel good for anybody. You don’t have to go the extra mile with deep cleaning or anything, but I recommend that you keep up with the basics. I consider the basics to be washing the dishes, starting the dishwasher, wiping down the counters and stove, and washing the sink. Once you’ve got your basics down, you’ll be able to reset your kitchen in a snap.
5. Tidying up routine
After a day of living life, things tend to get out of place in our homes. Having a general tidying up routine can help to restore that sense of peace an uncluttered space provides. Take a few minutes putting things back where they belong, picking up your kids’ toys, or even folding and putting laundry away. You don’t have to spend a bunch of time doing this, by the way. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see what you can accomplish in that short span of time.
6. Pet care routine
Taking time in the evening to care for your pet varies greatly depending on what kind of pet you have. For example, if you have a dog, take them on an evening stroll (this is good for the both of you!) and make sure to feed and let them outside before you close up the house for the night. Whatever the case, use that time to appreciate your pet, too. I have a betta fish named Vinny. He gets fed once a day, and that just so happens to be in the evening. I take this time to visit him (as much as you can visit a fish… lol!) and watch him glide back and forth in his tank.
7. Evening shower routine
As much as I love morning showers, something just hits different about an evening shower. It feels like they help to wash away the stress of the day. They’re a great option for those who get dirty at their job and physically need to wash the day away, people who wake up super early, or people who do their exercise in the evening. If you’re an avid morning shower person, feel free to skip this routine — but don’t think about skipping #8 in this blog post!
8. Evening skincare routine
Maintaining an evening skincare routine is so important. You don’t want to go to bed later in the day with old makeup or germs/bacteria all over your face. Use thicker and more potent products for this time of day, such as oils and acne treatments, so they can work their magic on your skin overnight. In need of a little inspiration? Here’s my current evening skincare lineup:
- Face wash — La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser / I’ve switched to this product for winter since it’s a bit more hydrating, but I still love my OG face wash by CeraVe.
- Eye cream — Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado by Kiehl’s / I love the feel of this product! It goes on creamy but has a cool texturing process that makes it so it doesn’t budge and get into your eyes once it’s on.
- Salicylic acid serum — Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Pore Minimizing Serum by Caudalie / This helps to keep any breakouts at bay.
- Moisturizers — Ultra Facial Moisturizing Cream with Squalane by Kiehl’s / This stuff is so so good. I can’t recommend it enough! I like to mix in a little bit of my La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5 for an extra boost of hydration. If I have any dry patches that are particularly stubborn, I apply a thin layer of Aquaphor to smother them in moisture.
- Facial spray — Mario Badescu Setting Facial Spray Mist with Chamomile and Lavender / This helps to lock in all of my skincare products. The lavender scent is a relaxing plus for the evening!
9. Hobby routine
Once all of your major care tasks like eating and cleaning are complete, you should take some time to indulge in your hobbies. Maybe you meet up with online friends at a designated time to play a video game together. Perhaps you enjoy a cup of tea while crocheting. You might even work on your latest poetry piece. Whatever your hobby is, make sure you keep it alive by partaking in it mindfully and regularly in the evenings.
10. Watching TV/ relaxing routine
I think this is something included in most people’s evening routines. There’s nothing quite like being in the middle of a good TV series and looking forward to watching another episode at the end of the day. Make it a cozy routine — snuggle up with your best blanket and maybe even enjoy a little snack! It’s important, though, to be mindful of this part of your evening. If you find yourself bingeing on movies or shows into the wee hours of the morning, give yourself a cutoff time and stick to it. You might also want to use your relaxing time to read, instead. This built in time to read is especially great if you need to read for a book club or just have a certain goal of books to read by the end of the year.
11. “Unplug” routine
As you’re winding down for the day, it’s a good idea to try an “unplug” routine. At some point in the evening, commit to going screen free. Many experts recommend stopping the use of screens at least an hour before bed. While you can absolutely try this, you don’t have to follow that exactly if you find it impossible to not look at your phone right before you go to sleep. If you’re used to putting the TV on when you’re doing the dishes, try to wash them in silence. If you find yourself picking up your phone a lot when you’re trying to read a book, put it out of your reach for that designated time. Separating ourselves from our screens does us a lot of good.
12. “Putting the house to bed” routine
In my blog post 27 Morning Routine Examples To Take Inspiration From, I talked about adopting a “waking up the house” routine. A “putting the house to bed” routine is the exact opposite of that. It consists of doing tasks around your house that signify that it’s nighttime. You might do things like dim or turn off the indoor lights, flick on outdoor lights, preset your coffee pot, lock up the house, and turn on your alarm system on.
13. Evening oral hygiene routine
Oral hygiene is important any time of the day, but arguably more so in the evening. If you skip this step in your evening routine, you’re letting all the plaque and bacteria from the day damage your teeth overnight. At the very least, make sure to brush and floss. This is also the ideal time to use more intense products, such as fluoride gel instead of regular toothpaste.
14. Planning for tomorrow routine
Envisioning the next day is a great practice to include in your evening routine. You can do things like fill out planner, set reminders in your phone for appointments, or pack your work bag. Think about the things that you can do now that will make tomorrow a smoother, easier day, and then get them done.
15. Going to bed routine
The last and final step of any evening routine — going to bed! Making this part as predictable as possible will be relaxing for you. The more relaxed you are, the easier it will be for your body to drift off to sleep. You could make a routine such as filling up your water cup, turning the lights off and popping some earplugs in before climbing into bed. Your body will learn that it’s time to rest when you consistently practice these habits before bedtime.
Final Thoughts
Are there any evening routine ideas I missed? Tell me all about how you like to spend your nights and what your favorite evening routine ideas are in the comments below!
This blog post was all about evening routine ideas.
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Looking for more evening routine ideas? If you have free time in your evenings and want to spend it in a more fulfilling way, take a look at my blog post 55 Seasonal Activities To Make Routine Fun to see what activities you can squeeze in!
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