The Ideal Evening Routine
You know I’m obsessed with routines. I used to watch Youtube videos of morning and evening routines. There's something so comforting about seeing people get ready for work and wind down after work. Routines and rituals also take a load off your mind because you don't have to be making decisions -- it just becomes a habit for you, and you can escape decision fatigue.
For full transparency, I still haven’t found my ideal evening routine yet. And because of that dilemma, I’m writing this post. In the hopes that by brainstorming some ideas and reading productivity books on routines, specifically evening ones, I’ll construct my own ideal evening routine.
I’ve been obsessed with this book Do It Today by Darius Foreaux for the longest time. He talks about journaling, planning your day and week, and time blocking as well as exercising daily. I’m trying to exercise daily, mainly through running, to boost my energy levels, so by night time I don’t end up fatigued and just crash on my bed. Which I’ve been doing. A lot.
Here are a couple of ideas I have for the ideal evening routine, based off of his book and articles I’ve read.
Journal — I’ve read that journaling, brain dumping, writing down what happened during the day can really improve your focus and organize your mind for the next day. You won’t have to have all these memories, thoughts, and feelings swirling around in your head. By journaling, you can organize your mind and your day and really remember everything you need to. Writing down everything is essential — you don’t want to keep everything in your head. Brain dump as much as possible. Some apps that I’m thinking of using and have been using include Ulysses, which is a writing app, Day One, which is a journaling app, and Notion and Google Docs.
Plan your next day — James Clear swears by this, and so does Darius Foreaux. They both take 10 minutes each night to plan the next day, which is something I’m planning on starting. They also talk about visualizing the next day so you have clarity and am prepared. As a planner and someone who likes being prepared, this sounds like something I’ll be interested in implementing.
Skincare — Wash your face before going to sleep! I like to do my skincare morning and night, and it’s a must for women because of the gunk that accumulates during the day in your pores due to make up and just oils and dirt. I like using CeraVe to wash my face, and then apply toner and serums. Also you NEED to moisturize before going to sleep or else your skin will end up super dry.
Plan your outfit — I don’t do this often, but I think it’ll really help since mornings are super rushed. I haven’t been that fashion-conscious recently, and I’ve just been throwing on work clothes and plain blouses and shirts since I don’t have to dress super nice for my job. But I’ve been meaning to dress better! Maybe I’ll invest in better fashion choices.
Charge your electronics — I need to do this. Too often, I end up with a dead apple watch in the morning when I really need a watch for a morning run and to tell the time and use Siri at work. Always remember to charge your apple products before going to sleep! And your laptop of course.
Track your finances — I HAVE to do this. I need to track all of my spending in a spreadsheet or else I’ll overspend and lose all of my income, lol. People swear by Google Spreadsheets, and I need to create a good system for myself to track my daily spending. Any ideas, anyone?
Read — I heard that reading a fiction book before going to sleep really relaxes your mind and helps you sleep better. I’m not a huge fan of fiction anymore, but I do like a good fantasy novel! I’m a bigger fan of nonfiction now, like Why We Sleep!
Hope I can implement all of these steps tonight. Iteration matters, and you don’t need to be perfect. Spend your night wisely!