Creating a Smart Evening Routine For Busy Women & Moms

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In my home, life is busy, and I’m guessing that it’s really no different in yours. We have recently jumped back into spring and summer sports, we have all of the end of the year activities, and in our case, a new baby is joining in for all the crazy busyness too! Evening routines are essential in the lives of busy women and moms since what you do in the evening largely determines the quality of the following day.

For me, getting up and starting my day long before my kids get up is essential. When I don’t, I tend to blow it in some way, which is never any good at all.

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While my quiet time in the morning is essential to me, it doesn’t just start there. It actually starts the night before.

In all actuality, I treasure my quiet time in the morning, but I really love my quiet time at night, too, even though I’ve got kids who are staying up later and later as they get older. There is just something I love about doing some planning, housework, and even cooking in the kitchen at night when the house is quiet, or at least mostly quiet.

Just like I find it so important to have a morning routine, I have come to discover the importance of a nightly routine as well.

If you are a busy woman, here’s the smart evening routine that will lead to an amazing day!

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“Cleaning” the house

My nightly routine starts with a house that is clean…or should I say a house that appears clean. Remember how I hide some of the clutter that gets left behind? Sometimes my house is clean, and sometimes it just looks clean if it’s been a super busy day. Either way, my brain can be clutter free when the house is clutter free.

Brain dump

Brain dumping all those things I need to let go of in my brain. Sometimes it is things I need to remember to do, sometimes it is topics for blog posts, and other times it is things I need to remember to go over with my kids in addition to so many more things. In fact, I usually have a piece of paper and a pen next to my bed since these random thoughts seem to pop into my head when I am on the verge of falling asleep!

Making my to-do list and schedule for the following day

If I leave this until the morning, I find that I am just too overwhelmed. Somehow in the evening, I have more clarity. I will say that I wait until the morning to prioritize that list and schedule, but I find it so helpful to have the actual activities written and waiting for me in the morning.

Get things ready for the morning

For me this includes getting breakfast ready for the morning as I love having a homemade breakfast of some kind, getting the kids’ clothing picked out, having the things that are needed to head out the door in the morning by the door, and having my to-go bag packed. These are all little things, but they make a huge difference in helping the morning go more smoothly.

Getting enough rest

I will say that this is something that I have come to savor lately. Interestingly, I used to place little value here. And, I tried to push as long as I could since my house was a bit calmer and quieter during the evenings. But, I discovered that this actually hurt me more than it helped me.

Are you wondering what connived me to change my view of rest? I had been feeling convicted on this issue, but then it was actually working through a course about creating evenings that work.

Crystal Paine, of Money Saving Mom, helped me transform my mornings with her Make Over Your Mornings course, but she has now created an amazing course about how to Make Over Your Evenings!!!

Here’s what I learned in the course, and here’s what you will learn, too.

You can check out the course HERE

1. How to create your ideal evening first

What are those things you want to get done? If you could have the perfect evening, what would it look like? Get it out on paper.

2.What will the conflicts in your schedule be?

Remember how I’ve talked about taking your season into account, taking the demands of your family into account, and the different roles you have to fulfill? You will do this too as you take a realistic look at the way your calendar affects what you can accomplish in reality.

3. What are your own limitations?

Are you just beyond exhausted at night? Identifying this and other limitations are an important part of creating an evening routine that works for you!

4. Creating a manageable to-do list

You will learn to resist the urge to create a t0-list just for the art of creating a list. You will create a list that works…and that you can actually tackle!

5. Why you want to get enough rest

Yep. Crystal made a believer out of me! That says a lot!

6. Give negatives the boot

All that negative self-talk? No worries. Crystal will help you get rid of that!

7. Look the part

Want to have a good day? Then it starts with looking the part and dressing for the day you want to have.

8. Determining what you can do to have an effective day

This is where you determine what you can get a jump start on in the evening for the next day.

9. Paying attention to you!

Don’t feel guilty here, this really is important, and Crystal will tell you why!

10. Creating a REALISTIC evening routine

Taking everything into account, what can an evening routine look like that you will actually be able to fulfill?

11. Coming up with a backup plan

Really, does anything ever go exactly as you have planned? Having a few backup plans already in mind takes the frustration out of those little pitfalls that so often happen in our lives. With a backup plan, you only need to switch gears. Having a backup plan is what is so often missing in being effective and having less stress.