Ending Your Day Well with the Essentials & the Beneficials

A great day begins the night before, ending your day well is key to setting up your next day with success!

A solid evening routine consists of both the essentials — the things that just have to get done — and the beneficials — the activities that restore, refresh and prep for some amazing sleep.

Last spring I shared in my Bible study that I regularly wake up at 5am almost every morning — including weekends — and I was immediately asked two questions,

How?

Why?

How could you possibly get out of bed that early, you have 3 kids ages 6 and under? How do you do it? What time do you go to sleep? Why do you wake up so early?

I do have young children and we are still in the stage of unpredictable sleep but after nearly burning out last year, rest and sleep are a huge priority for me.

My goal is to be in bed between 9 and 9:30 every night, this happens some nights more easily than others.

To help this happen, there are a few things I have found that help my days end well which allow me to set my tomorrows up for success.

I call them my essentials (the have-to’s) and the beneficials (the should-do’s). 

Doing a few good things every night helps me to end my day on a positive note and helps to prioritize sleep and rest.

Oh and for the record, I do not think everyone has to get up so early, so this post is not about setting your alarm for 5 am. You can relax now if you were starting to panic ??

Ending Your Day Well

The Essentials

These are thing things that just have to get done every night to make sure your home is running smoothly and remains relatively clean and clutter-free.

I don’t do all of these things on my own, the whole family chips in and helps!

Prep the Kitchen

After the kitchen is cleaned up from dinner, I always spend a few more minutes prepping the kitchen for the day ahead. This just naturally helps my day run smoother.

Once the dinner dishes are put away and the counter is cleaned, I immediately prep the coffee pot by placing the coffee grounds reusable pods and water in the reservoir. It’s just so nice to come into the kitchen in the morning and press start!

I also set out the breakfast dishes, fill our water bottles for the next day and place them in the refrigerator, layout vitamins for the day, and do any other prep work to make for a quick and easy breakfast.

If I haven’t already, I make sure that whatever we are eating for dinner the next day is already thawing in the refrigerator.

Spending just a few extra minutes in the kitchen at night saves time in the morning, not to mention helps make the morning rush so much easier!

Prep the Morning Bags

There is nothing more stressful than not being able to find your bag as you are trying to head out the door in the morning, so that’s why I always make sure the items we need to go are ready to go!

A few mornings a week I leave to go workout at the early morning workout class, so I have by the garage door my workout bag which includes my tennis shoes, socks, workout towel, and wallet.

The nights before my kids go to school, we make sure they have extra clothes and whatever else they need in their bags ready to go and place them by the garage door too.

Along with the kid’s bags, I also make sure my purse or any bags I need (like my laptop and work tote) are packed and ready to go.

Taking a few extra minutes to make sure we have everything we need right by the garage door is another super simple way we save time and stress early in the morning. 

Choose All the Clothing

I’m indecisive, which is why simplifying my wardrobe has been so essential and beneficial to me! Even still, I find myself with decision fatigue in the morning when I’m trying to pick out my clothing for the day.

To eliminate this I simply choose my clothes and lay them out the night before.

I check the weather for the next day and determine the entire outfit (including accessories) and lay them out. Most days I stay home all day with the kids but I still dress for the day I want to have by getting dressed every single day.

 

To help my kid’s morning run smoother — and to prevent the stress caused to me by my turtles early on 😉 — as part of our bedtime routine for the kids, they also pick lay out their outfit for the day too.

Taking a few minutes to make sure all of our clothing for the next day is laid out and ready saves so much time and energy in the morning. 

Write it Down

Oh, my planner, how I love thee!

I call it my second brain for a reason… it houses more than just my appointments and important dates, it’s also where I brain dump and plan for the day.

I have tried electronic calendars but nothing beats writing something down with a pen onto paper in my opinion, so a traditional paper planner is what keeps me sane.

I use and love my Emily Ley Simplified Planner (you can read more about how I set up and use it here).

Every evening I brain dump by writing out to-list for the day ahead. Getting it out of my brain and on to paper helps to get it off my mind so I’m not endlessly dwelling on it.

I also review the day for any appointments or places we have to be. This helps to avoid that sickening feeling of realizing you have 10 minutes to get everyone dressed, loaded up and drive across town for that dentist appointment you forgot about… trust me, it’s not a fun feeling!

Taking a few minutes to review the next day’s calendar and write out a to-do list helps to not only plan and mentally prepare for the next day but also helps relax your mind so you can get good rest. 

Get the Kids in Bed

You might be thinking, “Well this all sounds nice and lovely, but what about the kids? How do they help?” Well, you can bet they do!

Part of their bedtime routine is pick up any of their toys and belongings that are out in the main living spaces and in their rooms.

They lay out their clothing, with a little bit of guidance — no shorts mid-winter 😉 — and they help make sure their school bags are packed… including making their lunch.

My kids are young, ages 6, almost 6, and 3.5, and they all help!

It’s just something we have taught them and they know what’s expected of them.

Make the effort to help teach your kids to pitch in every evening to prep for the next day. It’s instilling important life lessons, ensuring everyone is pitching in to keep the house running smoothly, and giving you a hand so you are not doing it all! 

Quick House Sweep Through

Finally, before I put my feet up and begin relaxing for the day — because one the feet are up, it’s all over 😉 — I do a very quick house sweep through to make sure everything is picked up and put away.

Anything that is still left out, gets put away.

It’s so amazing knowing I can relax at the end of a long day with a house that’s picked up. It’s also a good feeling not waking up to a mess and chaos before the day even begins!

Take just a few minutes and do a quick house sweep through to make sure everything is prepped, ready, and picked up. It’s an amazing feeling to go to sleep knowing you are ready for the next day! 

The Beneficials

Once the essentials are out of the way, it’s time to unwind from the day and relax with the beneficial tasks, the activities that restore, refresh and prep for some amazing sleep!

Unplug

I used to hop on my laptop to check my email, finish up a blog post or do some other computer work but before long those few minutes would turn into almost an hour and before I knew it, my entire evening was gone.

Now I don’t even open my laptop at all.

Same with my phone, similar to the kitchen counter hours I keep during the day, my phone gets plugged into the charger somewhere far away from me.

Unplugging helps spend the last hour(s) of the day truly relaxed and what a difference it has made to my tired and weary soul!

Have a Drink

No, not that kind of drink 😉 more of the herbal kind.

I never used to be a tea lover (proud coffee gal here!) but slowly I have developed a taste and love for a warm cup of herbal tea.

Usually, something relaxing and comforting in the evening is the perfect way to wind down, I’m a fan of calming vanilla and chamomile. Sometimes if I feel a cold or scratchy throat coming on, I’ll sip a little throat coat.

Unwinding with a warm and comforting cup of tea is not only relaxing, it’s also healing to your body.  

Eat Healthily

Nighttime snacking was a terrible habit I used to be in which didn’t help the postpartum weight loss efforts or help my body have a restful night of sleep. Now, thanks to Trim Healthy Mama and a few rounds of Whole 30 I’m much more intentional about those night time munchies.

Since completely transforming the way I eat, I honestly don’t get all that hungry at night anymore but occasionally the hunger strikes.

Instead of munching away on something sugary or carb-filled that would rewire me, I choose something satisfying like a small handful of nuts with a small square of dark chocolate, or a few crackers with a cheese stick.

If I am feeling extra hungry, I make sure I drink plenty of water which usually just means I’m actually thirsty instead of hungry.

Most of the time I have learned that night time munching just comes on because I’m bored, which is usually a signal that I just need to go to bed instead!

A Little Light Reading

I make time to find pockets of reading throughout the day, but nighttime reading is probably where the bulk of my reading time comes from.

As I have shared a time or two before, my husband is a die-hard baseball fan — KC Royals to be exact! — so every night once the kids are in bed, baseball gets turned on.

We sit together on the couch and I read (yes, I have trained myself to read with the TV on in the background) while he watches his beloved Royals play.

Intermittently, we talk and cheer together but the merging of our two loves gives me the perfect time to end the day by reading a bit.

I usually keep my light reading for the end of the day too, but I’m careful about not reading too many novels in a row at night. I tend to have a problem of getting so engrossed in them, bedtime flies out the window!

Ending the day reading is a great way to relax and unwind after a long day. 

Record the Blessings

If I have had a really rough day with the kids and am really grumpy and worn out from the day, I find my mood instantly changing when I pull out my gratitude journal and record a few blessings.

If I’m in a really foul mood and can’t list anything, then I will go back and re-read some of my previous blessings. This usually instantly changes my heart to realize how everyday blessings are all around me.

Recording two to three gratitudes along with a little time in prayer at the end of the day, really helps to change my perspective, cast off any anxious or negative thinking and fill me with God’s restorative peace that helps soothe me into a restful night of sleep.

Read the Bible

What a better way than to end the day reading God’s Word?

I start my day by filling myself up and I have recently begun ending my day with this discipline as well. Now, this is not the time when I complete my Bible study or do an inductive study method, rather this is just spending a few minutes allowing God’s truth to wash over me.

Usually, I just re-read the passage from the She Reads Truth study I read and studied earlier in the day. Some days I might read a Psalm or two, or spend a few minutes in one of the other Wisdom Books. A few nights a week, my husband and I will read a passage together before prayer and bed.

It really is such a relaxing way to end the day!

What do you find are the essential and beneficial to ending your day well?