This post is about having an evening routine checklist and taking a closer look at my evening routine as a mom.

I’m convinced that we all live the same lives as moms. We all have the same morning, after-school, and evening routines. It’s the same every day: wake up, get the kids ready for school, then go to work or run errands. After school, we pick them up, prepare dinner, clean up, prepare the kids for bed, and do it all over the next school day.

Does that sound like you, too?

Every mom has some variation in their routine; it’s essentially the same whether they are working or stay-at-home moms. And yet, we are still so curious about how that mom does her evening routine, how another mom wakes up and gets started with her morning routine, or even what another mom cooks for dinner.

I like watching other people’s routines because they inspire and educate me. Maybe another mom found a way to be more efficient with laundry, and I’m implementing their strategy in my family life because I love it.

It’s learning from each other in motherhood and helping each other by sharing tips and strategies as we go through this journey together.

So here’s a closer look at my evening routine, which I hope will also inspire you to create your own. Remember to download the evening routine checklist to get started on yours.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.

Why Routines Are Important

Routines are important because they structure the day and keep you disciplined in your daily habits and tasks. If you have a goal or way of life you want to achieve, having a routine will help you achieve it.

One of my favorite productivity quotes is from James Clear in his book Atomic Habits (such a GREAT read!):

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

Mic. Drop.

Your daily routines are the systems you build into your daily habits. If you don’t have systems and routines you are actively involved in, you set yourself up to fail. If you want better results, focus on your systems because the routines you have in place will determine your outcome.

Creating a tracker or checklist is the easiest way to keep track of your routines and systems. An organized evening routine checklist will keep you organized, help you visualize your daily habits and what you’re spending your time on, and keep you productive.

Here are other reasons why routines are essential and why having a checklist can help:

• Less anxiety and stress about the day
• Improves productivity
• Having more time to do things you love doing and things that fill your cup
• It keeps you organized mentally and physically
• Helps maintain a well-balanced lifestyle
• Your future self will thank you

READ NEXT → If you need help creating your evening routine, check out this post on 10 Greatest Tips To Creating The Best Evening Routine

My Evening Routine

In mom life, some things don’t always go as planned, and having a structured evening routine can still allow you to be flexible when life’s curveballs come your way. Use the evening routine as a foundation and guide to how you want your days to look.

My evening routine as a mom on my days off begins right after school pickup and ends after the bedtime routine. The following is my daily afternoon routine ending in the evening time.

I like to have a productive evening routine, so these five hours are divided into five time blocks:

• The After School Routine
• The Dinner Block
• Family Outdoor Time
• My Nightly Tidy Routine
• Bedtime Routine For Kids

After School Routine – 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The after-school routine is typically between 3 pm and 4 pm and takes about an hour to complete.

Right after we arrive home from school pickup, my daughter gets an afternoon snack because she comes home hungry. Sometimes, we run errands, like picking up the grocery order or getting a car wash.

After snack time, she finishes her school homework. Once that is complete, she gets started on extra homework that I prepared to supplement what she is working on in school. We review flashcards since she’s learning multiplication and practice spelling words for her upcoming tests.

Dinner Block 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The dinner block starts at 4 p.m. and ends when we sit down for dinner.

It’s when I start to cook dinner, chop the vegetables, and portion out any meal prep for the week. I have a meal plan ready, so I know what I’m cooking. There’s nothing worse than being hangry and trying to figure out a recipe at the top of your head after a long, busy day.

My favorite evening routine activity is blasting music in the kitchen and having a little dance party while cooking dinner. Maybe it’s because it helps me distract from the fact that I hate cooking, but it definitely makes the job so much more enjoyable.

When we sit down for dinner, the phones are put away, and we focus on our food and each other. Sometimes, we watch Jersey Shore Family Vacation (where are my millennial moms at?), and other times; we bust out the 200-pack dinner conversation cards.

My daughter absolutely loves these, and she has the best time getting to know Mom and Dad more by asking silly or meaningful questions. She’s always asking for these cards during dinner time because we always get a lot of laughs from these cards. I highly recommend it for your next family dinner to build a fun and deeper connection with your kids!

Family Outdoor Time – 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

After dinner, we carve out some family time to hang out or relax on the couch, especially since it’s still scorching hot outside in the evenings. But when the weather starts cooling down around the fall/winter, we try to do an evening family bike ride or walk. I’ll try to time it for sunset walks because it’s a beautiful and calming way to end the day together. Plus, Arizona sunsets are just one of the spectacular things about living in the desert.

Nightly Tidy – 6 p.m./6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

I like to call this cleaning period the time when I put my house to sleep. It starts when we get home from our walk.

We’re cleaning up the kitchen from the mess from dinner, wiping down counters, doing a quick vacuum and/or mop, and tidying up the living room or any room that needs a little TLC. This is not a deep clean but a quick tidy from the day’s events. Waking up to a clean kitchen helps the next day start off better.

MOM TIP: Run the dishwasher every night and set up a load of laundry in the washing machine on a timed wash to start in the morning. When you wake up, you’ll have a clean kitchen, clean dishes, and a load of laundry started—all before you have your first cup of coffee!

Bedtime Routine For Kids – 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

While I’m cleaning up the kitchen and putting my house to sleep, my daughter gets herself ready for bed. When she was younger, this was the time when I would help her with bath time, getting into her pajamas, and brushing her teeth. It’s much more awesome now that she’s older and can do it herself.

We like to end the day by spending a few more minutes together, so when she’s done getting herself ready for bed, we spend those minutes reading bedtime stories. It makes me so happy that my daughter loves reading like I do, and I can 100% confirm that it was due to a lot of reading bedtime stories when she was younger.

Now that she is older, we’ve moved on to chapter books so we will set a timer and read a few chapters at a time. She’s also the one reading to me. It’s glorious.

Our favorite book to read right now is the current children’s bestseller, The Wild Robot, a children’s series about a robot trying to survive on an uninhabited island. It’s a heartwarming, emotional rollercoaster. Our goal for the fall is to finish reading it before watching it in the movie theatres, but right now, we are taking our time and enjoying the book.

Evening Routine Checklist

Use this printable evening routine checklist to keep track of your weekly routines. An evening routine checklist helps make your routine more effective and intentional.

How To Use

1. Download the Weekly Evening Routine Checklist here.
2. Print on standard letter paper size 8.5″ x 11″.
3. Title each section with a time block name. Add time frames to each time block.
4. Under each time block, write down the tasks and habits you want to do daily.
5. Checkmark each task as you go through your weekly evening routines.

Implementing an evening routine checklist can help with the overall productivity and organization of your weekly evening routines. Take inspiration from my evening routine to help you start creating yours. Remember to add in tasks that also fill your cup for the evening. So grab your favorite pen or iPad pencil, pour yourself your favorite tea, and start creating your systems with your personalized weekly evening routine checklist. Your future self will thank you!

This post was all about my evening routine and the evening routine checklist I use to help keep me organized.

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