The key to a productive day is to prepare for it the night before. Having a consistent evening routine, planning your next day, eating a nutritious meal, and having peaceful sleep can have an impact on your overall health, and well being. A good routine does not mean it has to be complicated. Incorporating some simple habits over time can have multiple benefits.
Related Article: 5 Step Morning Routine – Realistic and Productive Habits
Table of Contents
Dinner
The evening routine for me starts with preparing for dinner around 6 PM. Preferably, you should have dinner three to four hours before bedtime. That gives your body enough time for digestion but if your schedule prevents you from doing this, you should opt for a light dinner that is easy to digest.
Prep for Next Day
As mentioned before, a productive day starts the night before. Let’s take a look at things that you can do at night to set you up for the next day.
- To-Do List
Make a checklist of tasks that need to complete the next day. So the next day, instead of spending time planning your day, you can hit the ground running and start completing your tasks. - Meal Prep
If there is something you need to soak or something needs fermentation for the next day, now is the time to do it. - Clean Kitchen
Dirty utensils in the sink and a messy kitchen is the last thing you want to see early in the morning. So clean it the night before and have a peaceful morning. It hardly takes 15 mins and gives you a good start.
Skincare
Ideally, you should do your skincare two hours before bedtime. This gives your skin enough time to absorb all the treatments and moisturiser. This is the reason I prefer doing my nighttime skincare routine right after dinner.
If you are new to skincare, I would suggest you read this article to know how to begin your skincare journey.
- Face wash
This should be your first step in night time skincare routine. It removes sunscreen, dirt, oil, and impurities from your face. - Treatment
The next step is applying treatments like an exfoliator, retinol, vitamin C, etc. Please ensure you educate yourself about these ingredients before using them. - Moisturise
The last and final step is moisturising. It is an essential step for healthy skin.
Wind Down
Thirty minutes before bedtime is when you should start winding down and start getting ready to go to bed.
- Unwind
This is a personal choice, but reading before going to bed is a great way of slowing down and a subtle way of telling your body that you are done for the day. If reading isn’t your thing, maybe you meditate, take a shower or stretch to relax. - Put Away Electronics
This is a tough but important step in the evening routine. In all honesty, I struggle a lot with this but I know putting away electronics is key to peaceful sleep. - Dim Lights
This is another great telling your body to slow down.
Sleep
If you want to take only one point from this article, let it be this – fix your bedtime. Nothing is more important than going to bed at the same time every night and your body getting used to it. Also, a sound seven to nine hours of quality sleep every night is essential, and a fixed bedtime helps you achieve that.
Conclusion
Having a long, complicated evening routine with multiple steps is not important, but having a consistent one is. It helps in improving overall health, boosting productivity, and enhancing the quality of life.
