Evening Routine
A great day starts the evening before. As I was creating (and I'm constantly tweaking) my evening plan, I think about what would make tomorrow easier? I want to reiterate - YOU ARE YOU! You are not me. You are not anyone else. So as I share what works for me, don't feel the need to duplicate it. If it does work for you, that's amazing, but I have a sneaking suspicion our lives are different and you'll have different priorities, desires, and daily schedules.
Here is what my current evening plan looks like with explanations:
1. Laundry
2. Kitchen - DW to 4 hr delay
3. Vacuum
4. Check Calendar for tomorrow - prep anything needed for tomorrows activities
5. MUST DO list
It is simple. Straightforward. And I have (over the years) overcomplicated it, oversimplified it, written, rewritten and finally narrowed it down to what is most important to me and what fits in this season. These are the things I find to be most helpful. I have had printed lists, lists I wrote on paper, lists in sheet protectors - I could go on and on. BUT - currently, it is simply a Word Document and I don't even currently have it printed anywhere. I just know them and can do these things anytime.
My evening routine SOMETIMES even starts when I'm making dinner or before, depending on what my day looks like. I think the goal is to just get it done before bed. Period. None of these things are long drawn out tasks. Even IF I did them all at once, we are looking at about 30-40 minutes. But, as I said, I do them in little snippets of time AND if I don't have time to vacuum, the world won't end! *Gasp*
I think that is what I want you to learn from me. I have stressed myself and my family out over the years trying to do it ALL! Trying to create a perfect home - the one that looks like it came from Better Homes and Gardens. BUT - we live here! It won't always look like that - if ever. So, these things are little sanity keepers for me, to keep me feeling as if I have some things under control and I can breathe a little easier as I lay down at night.
Side note about my MUST DO list - it is not all-inclusive of what I need to do. It is the absolute minimum I MUST DO! I keep a running to-do list, but those things are after my top 3 are finished! These simple little things are what I have learned over the years to be the most beneficial. I always have grand plans - but if I don't execute a plan, it won't work!
I hope you are learning - it doesn't have to be crazy hard or super detailed. Just take a look around, what can you do each evening to make tomorrow easier for you?
xoxo - Dee
Here is what my current evening plan looks like with explanations:
1. Laundry
- I just need to get what I started finished, maybe even throw a load in to get a jump on tomorrow.
2. Kitchen - DW to 4 hr delay
- I don't have a devoted day to kitchen cleaning due to this. I just clean up after we eat, counters, stove, microwave, etc. They all get a good spray and wipe down. Basically, the kitchen stays in pretty good shape! And I prefer my dishwasher to run after we go to bed, so, that's why I do the 4 hr delay.
3. Vacuum
- We have 4 dogs, so vacuuming is a frequent task around here. But, this isn't detailed vacuuming - it is the high spots. Just a quick vacuum to get dog hair, crumbs, etc.
4. Check Calendar for tomorrow - prep anything needed for tomorrows activities
- This is self-explanatory. It helps me know what is coming up and be ready. If tomorrow I am grocery shopping, I make sure I have my list ready, my shopping bags for Aldi, etc.
5. MUST DO list
- It is for tomorrow. I list the top 3 things (starting with the one I am procrastinating about the most) I must do tomorrow. For example, today's list was:
1. Submit insurance info (because it is time-consuming and I was dreading it)
2. School
3. Submit Invoice
- Surely this one doesn't need explanation - BUT I will say, YOU must take care of YOU! :)
My evening routine SOMETIMES even starts when I'm making dinner or before, depending on what my day looks like. I think the goal is to just get it done before bed. Period. None of these things are long drawn out tasks. Even IF I did them all at once, we are looking at about 30-40 minutes. But, as I said, I do them in little snippets of time AND if I don't have time to vacuum, the world won't end! *Gasp*
I think that is what I want you to learn from me. I have stressed myself and my family out over the years trying to do it ALL! Trying to create a perfect home - the one that looks like it came from Better Homes and Gardens. BUT - we live here! It won't always look like that - if ever. So, these things are little sanity keepers for me, to keep me feeling as if I have some things under control and I can breathe a little easier as I lay down at night.
Side note about my MUST DO list - it is not all-inclusive of what I need to do. It is the absolute minimum I MUST DO! I keep a running to-do list, but those things are after my top 3 are finished! These simple little things are what I have learned over the years to be the most beneficial. I always have grand plans - but if I don't execute a plan, it won't work!
I hope you are learning - it doesn't have to be crazy hard or super detailed. Just take a look around, what can you do each evening to make tomorrow easier for you?
xoxo - Dee
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