19 Tiny Habits to Transform Your Evening Routine
Small changes to help you properly relax.
We are currently in the unique age of TikTok and Instagram posts where millions around the world show strangers their routines, particularly that of “a productive morning routine.” While these videos are great and can be very helpful, it’s easy to forget one crucial piece: what happens the evening before? Let’s talk about what you do during your 5-9 after your 9-5.
Why should you create an evening routine
A healthy evening routine is a crucial element in achieving productivity the next day. With our days filled with stress and chaos, you need to take time to decompress both physically and mentally. Not taking this time means laying in bed with ideas racing through your head, or nightmares about your to-do list for the next day. While it’s okay to miss some steps or have a night where you just need to crash into bed, an evening routine can allow you to tie up any loose ends from the day and prepare for the next and naturally form healthy sleep habits.
Need some evening routine ideas?
The evening time is for you to be able to properly unwind and let go of the stresses from the day, everyone deserves a break from the demands and deadlines. You should prioritize nightly self-care, both mentally and physically. There is a plethora of things you can implement in your evening, ultimately you should fill your evening with your favorite things, whatever makes you feel your best!
Moving your body is a great thing to add to your evening, try going for a sunset walk, or establishing an evening yoga routine, even doing some simple stretches before bed. Take a hot shower or bath complete with a facemask and your favorite music. Before bed, instead of endless scrolling, sit down with a cup of tea to read a chapter or two from a book you’ve been wanting to read. Any positive change you make in your night routine will have you thanking yourself!
Ultimately it doesn’t matter what you fill your evening with, as long as you put yourself FIRST. Our days are so easily consumed with everyone and everything else, the evening is for YOU!
Building New Habits: Make them Tiny
Incorporating new habits can be really hard, that’s why we like to make our habits tiny when first introducing them into our everyday life. Dr. BJ Fogg, a world-renowned habit expert, has created the Tiny Habits Method. In his book Tiny Habits, he explains that a new habit should be made as small and simple as possible, and should be anchored to an already existing trigger you face throughout your day. The goal of this method is to make the habit so easy that it will become second nature in no time.
We have developed 19 examples of tiny habits to add to your night routine. With each of these examples, we've attached an anchor that may already exist in your life. By anchoring the new habit to an existing one, it will become second nature very quickly. Adding any of these tiny habits, or using them as inspiration for forming habits in your own life, will guarantee a reflective and relaxing night routine that will set you up for success the next day!
More of a visual learner? Here is the Tiny Habits formula used in our example habits below!
[Anchor (existing habit)] + [Tiny Habit (miniature version of your new habit)]
19 Tiny Habit Ideas for your Evening Routine
After closing my laptop for the day, I will grab a pen and paper (and write a to-do list for the next day).
After setting a timer for food to cook, I will clean ONE prep dish (and hopefully continue with others! this way cleaning the kitchen before bed is much less daunting).
After eating my last bite of dinner, I will prepare food for the next day (getting snacks or prepping breakfast or dinner).
After putting the leftover/meal-prepped food in the refrigerator, I will wash any dishes.
After starting the dishwasher, I will wipe down the counter.
While the dishwasher is starting, I will pick up three pieces of clutter on the kitchen counter.
After rinsing the dish rag, I will pack my work bag (or set up my workstation) for the next morning.
After putting my work bag by the door, I will plug in my laptop or any other electronics I need to charge.
After closing the blinds, I will set a timer for 20 minutes and allow myself phone time on the couch (responding to texts, playing a game, or checking social media).
After I get up from the couch, I will fold blankets and fix pillows.
After I tuck my kids in for bed, I will go to the kitchen and fill a glass of water (and set it on my nightstand).
After walking through my bedroom door, I will lay out my outfit for the morning.
After putting my clothes for the next day out on my dresser, I will take 10 minutes to do yoga/stretching to prepare my body for sleep.
After I put my toothbrush back, I will meditate and reflect on the day for 2 minutes.
After sitting down on my bed, I will apply moisturizer to my face/lips.
After pulling up the covers, I will write at least 3 thoughts about the day in my journal.
After setting down my journal, I will set my alarm for the next morning.
After setting up my alarm, I will put my phone on do not disturb” (the bedtime feature on the iPhone is very useful for this).
After putting my phone on the charger, I will pick up my book (and read 2 pages).
Forming and incorporating new habits into a routine can be daunting. We want you to remember that any addition or thoughtful change is a WIN, no matter how small, and it can snowball into achieving your bigger long-term goals. If you are looking to dive deeper into building habits we recommend reading Tiny Habits or exploring our habit-coaching options. Having an accountability buddy, especially when at the beginning of your healthy-habit journey can make a world of difference. The real-human buddies at Shelpful help their members with sticking to their daily goals with reminders and celebrating even the smallest wins!
Let us know how you incorporate these habits into your routine! Message or tag us on Instagram / Tik Tok.
