• About
  • Contact
  • Courses
  • Binder Kits
  • Collaborate
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Organize
  • Projects
  • Lifestyle
  • Crafts
  • Holidays
  • Courses
  • Binder Kits
  • Media and Press
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

Organized-ish

Organized-ish

Progress > Perfection

  • Organize
  • Projects
  • Lifestyle
  • Crafts
  • Holidays

Winding Down With A Relaxing Evening Routine

May 12, 2022 · In: Lifestyle

Here’s how to build a relaxing and fulfilling evening routine to help you wind down and ease out of your day with this step by step tutorial.

After a super long day of work, chores, phone calls, errands, cooking, and crossing off items from your to-do list, bedtime just can’t come any sooner. But how you prepare for bed is so incredibly important for how you sleep, and how you wake up the next day.

You may not have an evening routine now, but it’s past due time to start one. By building habits to follow every night, you give your body signals to slow down, your mind a chance to reset, and your life a chance to just relax.

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest Share on Pinterest
hot tea on porch Lela Burris

Why Do You Need An Evening Routine?

  • Less Stress
  • Better Sleep
  • Ability To Decompress
  • Time To Spend On Something You Love
white stone fireplace makeover

Chill Out

By taking time in the evening to just chill, you get to take some of the load off your shoulders. You’ve got a safe haven that you can forget about the bills, the schedules, the project at work, the dog’s upcoming vet appointment, and the world in general.

Studies have proven over and over again that without time to just shut your brain down, the stress of life continues to build. I don’t know about you, but being a walking time bomb doesn’t sound like a fun way to live, in my opinion.

My husband and I like to wind down with a cup of chamomile tea and the candles flickering in the fireplace while chill vibes play from Spotify.

Sleep. Actually Sleep.

Ever notice that when you’ve got something on your mind you just can’t fall asleep? The clock flips over to 4am and you’re still staring at the ceiling. You’re mad because you have to get up in an hour and you’re frustrated because you’ve spent hours thinking about your problem and it hasn’t even been solved yet. While this is totally normal, it’s definitely not healthy.

By following a good evening routine, you’ll be able to shut those thoughts down and put them on pause for a time your brain is better equipped to handle your thoughts. Trust me, no good decisions are made at midnight. There’s no reason lying awake thinking you’ll find the answer when your brain is exhausted.

fireplace mantel styling white stone fireplace

Decompress

With everything that happens in a day, you really need time to decompress and hit the reset button. Maybe you silently cussed out the woman at the gas station in your mind while she ever so rudely hogged both available pumps. Or maybe you were one second away from telling your boss to mind his own business.

Stuff happens. Things aren’t always rosy, and that’s not going to change. But giving yourself a chance to let it all go is the only way you won’t blow a gasket again tomorrow. Acknowledge what got you worked up today and then release it. Your brain has too much going on inside to hold onto something that isn’t important.

Lela Burris pink home gym

‘You’ Time

The great thing about an evening routine is it gives you the time to spend on what you love. In our busy days, we rarely take time to indulge in something we really enjoy (other than ice cream. I can’t be the only one that eats ice cream in the kitchen straight from the container…).

Saving a few minutes every evening for some good quality “You Time” can make a world of difference. After a long day, I like to pop into my gym and lift weights for a few minutes. It’s not a full-blown workout, but it helps me relieve stress while taking a moment to focus on my body. It’s my little evening date with myself to reconnect.

PM Routine Off-Limit Activities

Just because you’re squeezing in some chill time, doesn’t mean you can do just anything. I mean, I guess you can do anything, but you’ll totally defeat the purpose if you do something heavy and brain-straining. You want to take time to let your mind slow down, so anything that involves major thinking or technology is going to have the opposite effect.

Activities To Avoid

  • Planning
  • Television
  • Devices (phone, tablet, computer)
  • Serious/Deep Conversations
  • Brain Teaser Puzzles

Activities To Do Instead

  • Sip Non-Caffeinated Herbal Tea
  • Read
  • Journal
  • Doodle
  • Word Search Puzzle
brass plug in sconce lights for bedroom

Your Turn!

Do you follow an evening routine to wind down? I’d love to hear what you do! Share your own experiences or thoughts on adopting new habits in the comments below.

Related Post: How To Create A Productive Morning Routine

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest Share on Pinterest

By: Lela Burris · In: Lifestyle · Tagged: bed, bedtime, evening, routine, schedule, stress

you’ll also love

long bedroom with loveseatHow To Create A Sunday Reset Routine
Lela Burris Building Routines Haven Conference 2022The Most-Asked Questions From My Routine Building Classes At Haven 2022
morning routine tips by Lela Burris of Organized-ishHow To Create A Productive Morning Routine

Get Blog Posts In Your Inbox

Every Saturday morning I send out a weekly recap of all the new blog posts. Want in?

Reader Interactions

Leave A Comment Cancel reply

Next Post >

Why You Can’t Find Anything To Wear In Your Closet

Primary Sidebar

Meet Lela Burris

Meet Lela Burris
hey-o!

My name is Lela, (say it like LEE-luh) and I'm so glad you stopped by my blog! Whether you're into organizing, home improvement, crafts, or you just think my pets are cute, you'll find all kinds of inspo here.

Tell Me More!

Connect

Get VIP Emails

Search

Shop My Planners

printable planners for home organization

Organize Your Craft Room

lela burris organiziedish

Hang With Me

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Follow Along

@lelaburris

Take a little tour of where I work every day and h Take a little tour of where I work every day and how I organized the whole space. The only thing it’s missing is a big tub of snacks. 😂 What’s your go-to snack when you’re working? Mine is the chocolate chip cookie dough Larabars. 🤤
🛒 Sources for the organizers and furnishings are in my LTK. 🖤
#homeofficeideas #homeofficegoals #deskorganization #organizingideas
5 Things You Never Knew About Me: 1. When Nigel a 5 Things You Never Knew About Me:
1. When Nigel and I started dating, I had a pet tarantula and a ball python, and both were in my small apartment bedroom next to my bed.
2. I started my blog in 2014 under the name In The New House. It didn’t change to Organized-ish until 2018.
3. I didn’t plan on becoming a professional organizer at all. A blog reader reached out and asked for help and people just kept asking after that.
4. I was chosen to share a holiday craft idea with @marthastewart on SiriusXM radio and she sent me a gorgeous wreath as a thank you.
5. I have a large collection of crystals and you can find at least one in almost every room photo I share here and on the blog. It’s like a never ending Easter Egg hunt. 😁
✨Now tell me a random fact about yourself! 😍
Bench is made for an entryway, trays are made for Bench is made for an entryway, trays are made for a kitchen, expandable divider is for a closet, and the wall storage is for garages…when you break the “rules” of organizing it becomes easier (and cheaper) to get your home Organized-ish. 🙌🏼
#organization #organizingtips #organizingideas #homegymsetup #drawerorganization
Who wore it best? Closet, laundry room, or bedroom Who wore it best? Closet, laundry room, or bedroom?
Same cabinet systems, different rooms. 😍 They’re all from @modularclosets and my ongoing code LELA gets you 10% off. 🙌🏼
#modularclosets #closetorganization #closetgoals #laundryroomgoals #storageideas

Footer

Browse By Category

  • Organize
  • Projects
  • Lifestyle
  • Crafts
  • Holidays

Get Organized-ish

  • Courses
  • Printable Planners
  • Shop My House
  • Amazon Faves

Blog Info

  • Contact
  • Media and Press
  • Disclosures
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Organized-ish LLC © 2023 · Theme by 17th Avenue