You’ve made it to the end of a long day. The kids are all tucked in bed. Maybe not asleep, but physically in their beds. You’re exhausted, like really exhausted. You truthfully just want to lay in your nice comfortable bed and binge watch your latest Netflix obsession. That sounds like the perfect night routine, right?!
But wait a minute…
- Your sink is a mountain of dirty dishes.
- Your kids’ backpacks are…well… who knows where they were dumped after school.
- Toys are littered across the living room floor.
- Your child’s dinner plate is still on the table attracting flies.
There is a battle waging war in your mind…
Leave it. Deal with it tomorrow. You deserve to relax.
On the other hand… No, what are you thinking? You can’t leave the mess. You really should clean up! You’ll regret it in the morning if you don’t.
So, ultimately what voice do you listen to??
Please choose the second option! Don’t get into bed with the house looking like a pigsty, no matter how convenient it might feel in the moment. I promise, the future you will thank you, if you take the time now to reset your home.
Steps to a Successful Night Routine
30 minutes! It shouldn’t take much longer than that to complete a few tasks that will make your home look and feel better.
You want your next day to be successful. You hope to avoid the stress of rushing around in the morning to find what you need. You desire to wake up to a calm, clean space.
Complete the following steps to ensure success for the following day. Also, feel free to add steps that apply more to your season of life or delete those that are not applicable. I hope this blog post will motivate you to find a night routine that works well for you and that it’s a routine you can stick with for the long haul! Or don’t be afraid to make adjustments to your routine to make it as streamlined as possible.
Close out your kitchen.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that your kitchen is the heart of your home. It’s the place where the family tends to gather, to eat, and to make the biggest mess (at least that’s my case).
To ensure your home runs smoothly the next day, I believe it is very important to reset this space each evening.
- Do the dishes or put the dishes in the dishwasher and START the dishwasher. (Our dishwasher doesn’t work, so I always do the dishes by hand. Not fun, but worth it the next morning!)
- Clean off the table and counters the best you can.
- Wipe down the counters. You don’t want to deal with a sticky, crumb encrusted counter the next morning.
Does your kitchen have to be spotless? No way! I have a whole corner that almost never is, but the main kitchen area should be ready to go the next day.
Tidy the main area.
For my house, I consider the “main area” to be the living room, dining room, and entry way. This part of my home is open concept and if I’m sitting on the couch reading my devotions in the morning, I love this area to be tidy and clutter-free. A negative effect of clutter is that it can result in heightened anxiety and stress levels, so by removing this each night, it can help you feel calmer!
- Tidy the living room. Arrange the throw pillows and blankets.
- Clean up the lingering toys or shoes (or socks).
- Give the floors a quick vacuum if time allows (or enlist your son or daughter to help with this).
A good solution would be to recruit others and make it a family effort each night! You can set a timer for right before (or after) dinner, and everyone can be involved in the cleanup process. Even 5 minutes should be adequate. Make it a challenge and make it fun, so the kids are more motivated to help.
If you keep up on this each day, it should only take a couple minutes each evening to get the area back to square one. Another tip: If you have kids home with you all day, you can spend 5 minutes after each meal to complete a quick clean up together.
Prep for the next day.
Summer is almost upon us, but during the school year, make sure school stuff is ready to go for the next day. During the summer, prep anything you might need for the next day (towels, swimsuits, water bottles, etc.) to make things run more smoothly.
During the school year, these are the items I like to have prepared the night before:
- Backpacks (planners are signed, papers are removed, homework is complete, etc.)
- Lunchboxes are cleaned out & ready to go for the next day
- Shoes!
- Clothes are laid out
- Devices are charged (kids have laptops for school & my devices as well!)
Make sure each item has a “home,” where it is returned to each day after school or each evening. For example, backpacks should always be returned to their hooks or lunchboxes should always be returned to a specific location in the pantry.
Plan for the next day.
Pull out your planner or your Google Calendar and make a brief plan for the next day. You don’t have to plan in 15 or 30-minute increments, but a general plan should be sufficient.
Check for appointments or meetings. Check on what your children may need for show and tell or a field trip. Check what’s on your meal plan for dinner the next day. Cover all the basics for the following day and you’ll be one step ahead of the game! It definitely feels better to be one step ahead than five steps behind.
Have you heard of a Brain Dump? If your brain tends to race each night once you lay your head on your pillow, keep a notebook on your nightstand. Write down those thoughts as they come to mind. Jot down the things you don’t want to forget. This will help you feel more at peace and let your mind calm down and be able to rest.
Spend some time on self-care.
Bare minimum, brush your teeth and cleanse your face. You must take care of your oral health and your skin! I highly encourage you to make these nightly habits that are non-negotiable. The book, Tiny Habits, by BJ Fogg is a helpful place to start if you’re hoping to set up some daily healthy habits that will stick. He teaches that it’s important to set up a prompt, or you might have heard the term “habit stacking”. As soon as I put my kids to bed, I will go brush my teeth. You always put your kids to bed, so once that is complete, add in the habit of brushing your teeth.
Another example: As soon as I’m finished brushing my teeth, I will complete my skincare routine. Adding these new habits to existing habits, can help you remember them better and ensure that they happen each night because there is a certain time planned for them to happen.
What do you want the relaxing portion of your night routine to look like? Watching Netflix while cuddled up in bed? Taking a nice long, hot shower or hot bubble bath? Stretching? Reading? Spending time talking with your husband? There are so many options here!
You have to decide what helps set you up for a good night’s sleep. I’m not going to tell you to take a nice long bubble bath if you do not even like baths. And I won’t recommend reading for 30 minutes before bed if reading is the last thing you desire to do each night. Find what helps YOU wind down and feel relaxed. You worked hard and you deserve some time for what fills your cup!
Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.
Eleanor Brownn
Start a Productive, yet Relaxing Night Routine Tonight
You will be so thankful you spent that extra time to prepare your space and yourself for a good night’s sleep and for the next morning. It is so worth it! The nights I decide, the dishes can wait and the toys will be there tomorrow, I always regret it the next morning.
Take the time to be productive first. Then you can actually enjoy relaxing afterward. I guarantee you will enjoy the relaxing part of your night routine ten times more when your space is tidy, and your makeup is washed off your face!
This will also help immensely with implementing a morning routine that runs smoothly and efficiently.
Be intentional. Set yourself up for success the night before.
Don’t assume your morning will run well, if you don’t take intentional steps the night before! Start tonight, don’t wait!
Also, check out my morning routine blog post HERE to assist you in creating a morning routine that you LOVE!
