30 Short Evening Routine Habits to Enrich Your Life

What’s your evening routine? Mine is designed to reduce cognitive load, reduce stress, and most importantly, do more of what guarantees brain reset. I tend to read a lot, go for walks, do nothing to clear my head, choose a topic for a post in the morning and if I watch TV, it’s time blocked.

Every night you have one chance to wind down and prepare your brain for the next day. Don’t waste it by loading your brain with activities and events that make you even more tired in the morning.

A productive evening routine means putting your best self forward, so you can start fresh in the morning. It also means avoiding distractions, so you’re ready to face the new day. An evening routine is a set of activities that you repeat after work to prepare your mind and body for the next day. It’s the perfect time to start your day fresh in the morning. It’s also the ideal time for taking a break and relaxing.

The brain can’t deliver at 100% capacity all the time — it needs downtime for peak performance. You can use the evening routine as a chance to wind down or plan for the day ahead.

30 Easy Evening Routine Habits

These are a few habits, routines and activities for a productive evening.

End your day with a short nature walk to clear your head — away from screens. You can immerse yourself in nature for at least half an hour.
You can listen to a podcast, audiobook or just the sound of nature if you choose to go for a walk.
Whilst walking, be fully present; observe what you see, ponder over that new thing you’ve never seen before; learn to fully relax your brain and enjoy your time away from work.
You can also end your day with a short exercise routine; you could go for a run or to the gym. I tend to alternate between running and walking.
When you spend quality time with your partner, close friend, spouse or anyone you care about, turn off notifications to connect better with them.
You can block time for a productive TV show, talk or documentary that can help you learn something new. You could also watch one TED talk every night (in under 12 minutes).
Do absolutely nothing at some point in the evening; sit and enjoy a few minutes of mind wander or meditation. It relaxes the brain.
If you choose to read, turn off the TV. Choose physical copies to stay away from screens — it will help you sleep better. It’s a great way to connect with the author or story of the book fully.
Use writing or journaling to calm your brain; you can write down the one thing you want to start doing first thing in the morning. It can improve your mood and emotional well-being.
If you don’t want to read a book, you can read that essay or article you bookmarked a while ago to learn something new.
If you have a porch and the weather is great, get yourself a drink, sit outside and watch the sunset. Or just enjoy the quiet time outdoors.
If you happen to close early from work or work for yourself, you can visit a gallery, museum or public art studio and enjoy great pieces of artwork. Switch things up to see the world from a different perspective.
Make time for an evening dinner with a friend once in a while; nothing stressful — just dinner with a close pal to catch up.
If you can’t invite someone for dinner, call a friend for a good old chat; talk about anything but the weather.
Create a new to-do list for the morning. Write down at most three things you need to do to make the next day successful.
Choose your outfit for the next day. Don’t waste cognitive energy on what to wear in the morning. It saves mental energy for real work in the morning. Make that decision before you go to bed.
Don’t eat too close to your bedtime. And cut down on your alcohol and ditch heavy dinners. It’s the best way to help your body go to sleep faster.
End your evening on a good note by keeping work-related items away from the bedroom. It empties the mind of work, which can help you sleep faster.
Clean, organize and clear tables. Don’t wake up to a messy house. Pick up new cleaning supplies if you need them, like a floor mat cleaner or a handheld vacuum. Distractions and mess cause stress. Start your morning right by getting rid of anything you may have to do in the morning.
Try a new experience, hobby or activity you are curious about. You could work on a passion project, learn a fun skill or join the hottest club of smart artists on the internet to refine your craft. It’s a great way to lose yourself in something you enjoy.
Make time to reflect on what went well, what can be improved the next day and what you want to do differently for a great day ahead. You can reflect and ponder through writing.
Think about an activity, event or task that excites you about the next day. It’s deeply motivational. It puts you in a good mood at night and in the morning.
Take a class on an intellectually curious topic: art, illustration, design, or painting. It keeps your mind away from the worries of tomorrow.
Instead of ordering takeaway again, make dinner from fresh ingredients. You can create a whole mood for it by playing your favorite music and cooking something new.
Ditch caffeine. Drinking caffeine even 6 hours before sleep can interfere with your sleep pattern. Do yourself a favour and cut off caffeine. You don’t want to disrupt your sleep.
Save the intense workout for the morning. If you really want to exercise, stick to lighter options like brisk walks or stretching.
Strenuous exercising raises heart rate and body temperature, making it harder to sleep.
Create an evening playlist and play good, soft and soothing music in the evenings; it can improve your mood and help you sleep better.
Think happy thoughts when in bed; this is probably the most difficult for many people. Worrying and stressing about tomorrow prolongs sleep. Practice positive thinking; focus on events you look forward to in the morning.
If you lie in bed and haven’t slept after 20 minutes, get up and read a physical book. Lying awake makes sleep even harder because your mind becomes active again. Drifting off shouldn’t take long.

“It’s easier to sleep when you don’t believe in all the negative thoughts you think.” — Jennifer Williamson

This article originally appeared in Medium.