Howdy! Thanks for stopping by to see what’s on my mind today! Maintaining healthy habits is important to your health just like eating the right food is. I’ve spoken before about establishing a good morning routine, and today I’d like to talk a bit about an evening routine. Let’s chat about how to end your day well with an evening routine. These six practical tips will wrap up your day nicely and let tomorrow start off on the right foot.
My journey toward an evening routine began back in February when I started the Autoimmune Protocol. Eggs and grains were not a part of my diet anymore so instantly cooking breakfast became much more time consuming. I quickly realized that if I was going to be able to get a hot, fresh breakfast on the table in the morning, I would need to do my mise en place the night before.
Just prepping breakfast morphed into other habits that allowed my day to end well and create a nice launching pad for the next day. I could get a jump on laundry, dishes, the day’s schedule, etc.! Let me show you six tips that I’ve found wrap up my day nicely and prepare me for a successful day tomorrow.
Delay Start the Dishwasher
Once the dinner dishes have been loaded into the dishwasher, I add the soap and use the “4 Hour Delay” feature to delay the start of the cycle. Why? Because I always forget to actually start it before bed so it’s best for me to do it right after dinner.
My kids have a snack every night before bed, so I toss those dishes in too which doesn’t affect the 4 hour delay. Even if it isn’t completely full, I run the dishwasher every night so I can start the day with clean dishes and an empty dishwasher.
Delay Start the Washer
If you have a newer washing machine, it might come with a delay start button like mine. It took me 5 years to realize the awesomeness of this feature. I put a load of laundry in before I go to bed and delay the start until 5 or 6 am. This way, I have one load of laundry half done when I get up! I toss it in the dryer and will have on full load of laundry washed and dried by breakfast. Amazing!
Prep Breakfast
This is the habit that started it all. If you are making an effort to eat fresh, hot food in the morning, then prep all the meat, veggies, and fruit the night before. If I’m making a hash, I dice the butternut squash, put the meat in the refrigerator, and chop the onion and kale. Each item goes in its own container in the fridge. When I’m ready to cook in the morning, I just pull them out of the fridge and right into the pan or oven. It saves LOADS of time!
Your breakfast prep might not be as long as mine,but take a minute to think through your breakfast routine. Could you do some prep at night to ensure you eat a healthy breakfast?
Clear and Clean Counters
A dirty, cluttered kitchen is one thing I cannot stand. Now usually I have the kitchen cleaned up after dinner, but if not, I clean off the counters before I go to bed. There is just something right about a clean kitchen when you go to bed. It feels like the whole house is clean when it isn’t really!
Set Clothes Out
If you are looking to minimize the amount of time it takes to get ready in the morning, then set your clothes out the night before.
I make two piles on my nightstand: my workout clothes and my outfit for the day. I put on my workout clothes as soon as I sit up and take my clothes for the day out of the room with me (I shower in the basement to avoid waking my family early in the morning!).
I’ve tried not setting my clothes out, and it never fails that I can’t make a decision or find the right top/bottom. I’m just not a decisive person in the morning! But at night? I want to be in bed, so it’s easy to throw together my outfits for the next day.
Check Calendar
This is a habit I’m working to get better at, check my calendar at night to prepare for what’s coming the next day. School is in now and I am juggling many hoops. I will inevitably drop one (or two!) if I don’t take a minute to prepare the night before.
Those are my top six tips for how to end your day well and, at the same time, set yourself up for a great day tomorrow! If done back-to-back, these six would take you less than an hour (maybe a lot less depending on what your breakfast prep looks like!). You will be able to go to sleep at peace knowing you’ve finished well, and the morning will be working for you even before you’re out of bed.
Do you have an evening routine? What do you make sure gets done before you go to bed each night? Any other delay-start awesome tips to share?
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