Simple After Work Evening Routine For Working Moms
To know me is to know that I love routines. A simple after-work evening routine can make your life 1000 times easier as a working mom, especially after a long day at work. Our jobs as moms are never-ending, so having a solid evening routine can make a difference between constantly being stressed out and overstimulated versus tackling your nightly tasks with ease and setting yourself up for a successful morning.
I want to share my evening routine as a working mom and give you a few tips on creating one of your own to help you balance motherhood and work.
This post is all about evening routines for working moms.
Why Evening Routines Are Important For Working Moms
I used to be that mom that was all over the place and was winging it every evening after work. I can tell you firsthand that I was always stressed out and overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done after work, on top of spending quality time with my girls and making time for my husband while remembering to set aside some time for self-care.
Below are a few reasons why establishing an evening routine as a working mom can be life-changing!
Evening Routines Adds Structure To Your Home
After establishing my evening routine, I quickly realized how much my kids and I thrive on routines. They know what I expect each evening when they come home from school. Although they can’t tell the time yet, they know their bedtime is at 8:30 p.m., so they try to get all their wiggles out before then.
Helps Reduce Stress
As mentioned earlier, having a solid evening routine can significantly reduce stress. I no longer try to do everything after work. I have a set list of non-negotiable tasks that I focus on each evening. Outside of that, my main focus is spending time with my family and preparing for the next school and work day.
Helps Set You Up For Success For The Next Day
I believe that your morning routine begins with your evening/night routine. Set aside time to set goals for the next day and be specific about what tasks must be completed to help your mornings run smoother. This can include cleaning the kitchen and living room, picking out and ironing the kid’s school clothes, packing lunches, and choosing my workout for the next morning.
Related Posts: Why You Need A Morning Routine As A Working Mom
My Evening Routine As a Working Mom
3:30-4:30p: Pick up kids from school and get them situated so that I can work for another 1 hour or two ( I work from home as a corporate project manager, so I block off my calendar at work during this time frame so that no one can book me!)
4:30- 6p: Finish up work & Log out off computer
6-7p: Cook dinner and help the kids with their homework
7-7:30p: if the kids finish their homework early we will usually take the girls to the park or play outside while dinner is finishing for some family time.
7:30-8p: Eat Dinner
8-8:30p: Begin Kids Bedtime Routine. We are team baths every night over here. Kids sleep better at night after a bath. Not to mention, after being at school during the day with all the school germs and playing outside, a bath at night is a MUST!
8:30-8:45: Prepare school lunch for the next day. I’m trying to make an effort to ensure my kindergartener has a variety of foods included in her lunch each day. I also want to try out other lunch ideas other than sandwiches so I use this time to get a head start on her lunch for the next morning.
8:45 -9:30: Begin Evening Chores. My evening chores consist of cleaning the kitchen and living room and trying to (the keyword here is try, lol) do a load of laundry. If I have time to do more cleaning, I usually do, but I no longer beat myself up about getting to the rest of the house since I’ve implemented a cleaning schedule. Every room in the house has a designated cleaning day, and the kitchen & living room are to be cleaned every night!
9:30-10p: Shower & Self-Care
10-11:30p: Mom & Dad Time
11:30-12:30a: Finish content creation work such as writing blog posts, editing YouTube videos, or planning content! I’ll be honest that this doesn’t happen every night since I have very early mornings but I do try to prioritize content creation despite my busy schedule.
Tips To Create An After Work Evening Routine For Working Moms
Okay, you’re probably wondering how you can create a simple after-work evening routine that works for your family. Well, I got you, girl!
Identify Your After Work Non-Negotiables
This can include a quick cleaning session to tidy the house, playtime with the kids, homework, laying out school clothes for the next day, etc. Whatever you think needs to be done every night without question.
Set A Timer
Listen I love a good focus session. If there are chores that need to be done in a crunch, timers help you and the kids remain focused and get things done!
Keep It Simple
Don’t stress yourself out. As working moms we have so much on our plate and there will always be a million things that we need to do. If your evening routine is stressing you out, then something isn;t working so take a step back and make sure you are focusing on non- negotiable tasks to keep your household running smoothly.
This post was all about why you need an evening routine as a working mom.
