Working Mom Evening Routine: Simple Checklist To Get It All Done

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Last Updated on August 15, 2023 by Saskia Friedrich

Everyone keeps talking about how important it is to have a morning routine in place. Even though we don’t hear much about it, but a working mom evening routine is just as crucial!

An evening routine helps you set the tone for the following morning and ultimately the whole day.

Life as a mom is stressful – you have to keep your kids happy, clean the house, fill up the fridge, run errands, and remember everyone’s schedule.

We’re not talking about having to go to work yet, organizing catch-ups with friends, or planning trips away. Our to-do lists never seem to end.

At the end of the day when you get home from work, you need to get dinner on the table, bath the kids and help them with homework, if they’re older.

So, how can we manage our busy lives and reduce the stress that sometimes seems to tear us apart? How do other moms do it all?

They have a routine in place. Just like a mommy morning routine, you also need to have an evening ritual to stay on top of things and not feel overwhelmed. Daily schedules for working moms are key to a less stressful life.

Organization and persistence play a big part in setting up and maintaining an evening routine as a working mom.

Related: Miracle Morning Routine

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Evening Routine for Working Moms: Checklist

• Quick house clean up
• Prepare laundry for the next day
• Set breakfast table
• Get daycare/school backpacks ready
• Pick clothes for yourself and the kids
• Check the meal plan
• Check your to-do list
• Me-time
• Bonus
• What to avoid

Find details on each checkpoint further below . . .

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Why It Is Important to Have an Evening Routine as a Working Mom

An evening routine will give you the time to calm down, sit back, and get prepared for the next day.

The mornings are usually quite hectic, you have to get yourself and the kids ready to leave the house, feed the dog, prepare lunches, etc.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a few things done the night before, so you don’t start your day stressed and rushing around the house getting everything together?

Not only should you use your evening routine to get stuff done for the next morning, but you should also use it to take some time to yourself.

When the kids are in bed and the house is somewhat tidy, make sure to do something for yourself. This will make you feel like you haven’t just worked for everybody else the whole day. You deserve some me-time and it’s a great way to end the day!

As a working mom, having an evening routine in place will ultimately make you more productive and less overwhelmed.

And you’ll be less likely to forget things the next day as you took the time to get prepared and organized.

Related:

• 13 Simple Meal Planning Tips for Working Moms
• How To Plan Your Sunday For A Successful Week

How To Set Up an Evening Routine as a Working Mom

You need to identify the main things that cause you to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Ask yourself the following questions:

Once you know your pain points, you can start thinking about changing things around and setting up an evening routine that works for you and your family.

Every family life is different, depending on the age of your kids, your after-work activities, etc. In fact, every day is different and there are always some emergencies we need to be prepared for.

So, staying flexible is a very important feature when setting up an evening routine.

Let’s have a look at the below checklist for you to get some ideas on how to set up the perfect evening routine that works for you.

Make sure to only pick a few things first, otherwise you might get overwhelmed too quick and throw the whole routine idea out the window. Once your daily routine is set up, you can add some more if you like.

Related: Miracle Morning Routine

Working Mom Schedule: Evening Routine

• Quick house clean up
• Prepare laundry for the next day
• Set breakfast table
• Get daycare/school backpacks ready
• Pick clothes for yourself and the kids
• Check the meal plan
• Check your to-do list
• Me-time
• Bonus
• What to avoid

Try Amazon Fresh to save yourself time, money, and stress!

Quick House Clean Up

When I write quick, I mean quick. Don’t do a deep clean, otherwise, you’ll be spending all night doing that and not have time do to anything else. Setting a timer is a great idea, maybe something like 20-30 minutes, while your partner is bathing the kids.

Clean and tidy up the house so you feel comfortable in it and so you can get up the next morning, not having to worry about cleaning the kitchen first before being able to make breakfast.

At night, clear the dining table, put everything in the dishwasher (maybe you even get to unload it a few hours later without waking up your kids), wipe down the counters, and clean up the stove top. If you don’t have a dishwasher or you have dishes that have to be hand-washed, make sure to get that done as well, so the pile of dishes doesn’t grow too high.

Personally, having the kitchen clean is the most important thing for me. I can’t move on to another task if the kitchen still looks like a mess. It’s a good feeling having the messiest room of the house ready to be used for the next day. And everyone will love waking up to a clean kitchen!

Prepare Laundry for the Next Day

As a working and busy mom, I find this task of my evening routine very helpful to stay on top of the never ending washing.

Every night, I take down the washing which has been drying throughout the day and put it away. Then I have a look at what’s in the hamper, sort the washing by their colors, fill up the washing basket and put it in front of the washing machine.

That way, I can straight away start the machine the next morning without having to think about what needs to be washed and making room first for the clothes to be hung up.

If you put your clothes in the dryer, then be sure to take them out at night and put them away, so you can wash the next load of clothes the following day.

Set Breakfast Table

This seems like a small task, but adding it to your evening routine can make all the difference in the morning.

Depending on what you have for breakfast, try and prepare as much as you can, so you only have to do minimal work in the morning. This can be something like getting out the dishes, spoons, and breakfast cereal. Or setting up the coffee machine ready to be turned on. Think about whatever could make your life easier.

Get Everyone’s Backpacks Ready

Packing the backpacks for your children is an essential part of your evening routine as a working mom. Doing this in a rush in the morning is very stressful and not a great start into the day. Plus, you’d probably forget things.

If your little one goes to daycare, take out any dirty clothes and refill with clean spare clothes. Make sure to check the weather for the next day, so you pack the right stuff. Check if there are any forms in the backpack for you to read or sign.

The same goes for backpacks with school-aged kids (except for the spare clothes). Make sure their homework is back in the backpacks and check for any forms or paperwork.

Pick Clothes for Yourself and the Kids

Adding this step to your evening routine will make your life so much easier being a working and busy mom!

On how many mornings do you stand in front of your wardrobe thinking about what you should wear for the day? Or do you put something on, aren’t happy with it, and change it again? That can waste a good 10 minutes.

Pick the clothes for your kids, too. If they are a bit older, you can also let them pick their own clothes to avoid any arguments in the morning.

Check the Meal Plan

Have a quick look at your meal plan to see if there’s anything you need to take out the freezer or if there’s anything else to prepare.

If you’re having a crockpot meal the next day, then it might be a good idea to chop the vegetables the night before. Also double-check if you have all the ingredients for the meal you want to cook.

In case something is missing, you can quickly stop at the supermarket on your way home from work. There’s nothing worse than starting to cook and you realize you haven’t got a certain ingredient.

Try Amazon Fresh to save yourself time, money, and stress!

Check Your To-Do List

As part of your evening routine, it’s a good idea to also have a quick look at your to-do list so you can be prepared for the next day and not forget anything.

Depending on your and your family’s schedule, you can add a few things to your to-do list that are realistic to be ticked off the next day.

Don’t add anything you know you can’t achieve (at least not at this point in time).

Related: Overcoming barriers to achieve goals

This will only discourage and overwhelm you. You can add them to a different list of things which are not time-specific.

Whatever is on your list for that day, be sure to prepare for it the night before. This might be getting certain paperwork ready, picking out sport clothes, etc.

Tip: Sunday Planning

I’m a big fan of Sunday planning. Every Sunday I sit down and plan ahead for the coming week. I do this in 9 steps which helps me have an organized, productive, and successful week. You should try it out!

Me-time

Finally! I bet you’ve been wondering when we get to the best part of the night.

As a working mom, we deserve some me-time after a busy day, as part of our evening routine. We have been doing things for work, friends, and our family, and now it’s finally time to relax and tend to our own needs.

Pick something you like, this might be reading a book, doing some yoga, or doing something creative like sewing or drawing.

Or how about taking a nice hot bath and having a glass of wine? Or maybe just a relaxing shower including all of your hair and face routines?

Most nights, we are just exhausted and want to jump into bed, but if you can squeeze in even just 15-20 minutes of me-time, it will make such a difference to your day and well-being.

Check out these 5-minute self-care activities, if you don’t have much time or are stuck on ideas!

Don’t leave the me-time for the weekend, you never know how busy it’ll be. Besides, having a little me-time every night makes you feel much better than doing it just once a week.

Bonus: Pick Up a Special Task Each Night

To be able to stay on top of the household and everything else on my to-do list, I like to pick up a special task every night.

It’s something different each night and can be something like cleaning all the mirrors in the house, paying a bill, or writing a birthday card for a friend.

If you add a special task to your evening routine being a working mom, you will be able to slowly and steadily work the tasks off your lists.

These little tasks seem daunting to us, but if we only do one of them a night, it’s not soo bad. And they usually only take 5-10 minutes.

What To Avoid During Your Evening Routine as a Working Mom

Don’t check your phone! It’s your biggest time-waster when it comes to following your evening routine.

If you have to check it and reply to some emails or messages, be sure to set a timer to not spend too much time on it. After that, put in on silent and even consider taking it to another room. Otherwise, you’ll feel the need to glance at it every now and then when walking past.

Not only does the phone keep you away from what you actually want to do, it’s also unhealthy to be using it close to bedtime. According to this study from the Cleveland Clinic, looking at your phone before going to bed has the following 3 downsides:

• Your mind can’t get to rest
• The blue light of your phone reduces the sleep hormone melatonin
• Scrolling through social media can cause big emotions

It’s the same for watching TV, working on your laptop, or using any other electronic devices.

FAQs to Working Mom Evening Routine

How Do Working Moms Maximize Time?

Moms can maximize their time by doing things more effectively. How? Get a good night sleep, feed your body good food, make a plan, set goals, prioritize and then focus and get the work done.

Are Working Moms Happier?

This is a hard question to answer and depends on the individual. Some moms are happy getting back into their jobs and have time away from their kids.

It’s good to have your own thing being a mom. Your workplace, your colleagues, your work function, etc. On the other hand, working moms also get stressed and have to juggle many different tasks.

Conclusion: Working Mom Evening Routine

Having daily routines in place is not just good for your children, it’s also good for yourself. You will become more organized and are able to stay on top of your busy schedule. Nothing will fall through the cracks thanks to the routine you have put in place.

Just like a morning routine, having an evening routine can make the biggest difference to your day being a busy and working mom.

Go get yourself a planner and get organized! 🙂

If you want to find out more about whether a bullet journal or a planner is the better organizational system for, be sure to read on.

Working Mom Evening Routine

About The Author

Saskia is a mom, blogger, and freelance writer. She loves sharing tips on self-care, personal growth, and productivity & organization. Find out more about her or get in touch with her here.

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