Realistic evening routine ideas for when you're exhausted

Clothing, notepad - items needed for a realistic evening routine.

There are some evenings when you simply don’t have the energy to do much more than get everyone into bed. When you’re already exhausted, the idea of tackling an evening routine can feel overwhelming. That’s where a realistic evening routine can help.

Instead of trying to get everything done, you can focus on a few simple tasks that make tomorrow easier, without using up the little energy you have left.

In this post I’ll share some simple ways to create an evening routine that works even when your energy is low. You’ll learn how to prepare for tomorrow, create a minimum version of your usual routine, make everyday tasks easier, and some easy things you can do to help your evening routine run more smoothly.

Get your FREE Organised Mum Life toolkit packed with simple planners and checklists to help make family life easier here.

Table of Contents

Bookmark this post for future reference on Pinterest. Thank you!

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

What is a realistic evening routine?

There will be times when you want to get things done in the evening, but you’re just too exhausted to tackle anything big.

When you feel like this you need a realistic evening routine, a routine that has realistic activities within it, activities that use the least amount of energy as possible so you can still finish the day on a good note, and prepare for the next one.

How to create a realistic evening routine

Here are some things you can do when creating an evening routine when you’re tired.

Prepare for the next day

If you can only do one thing when you’re exhausted, my advice is to do the tasks that are essential in making the next day easier.

Some of these things for me include:

Packing school bags
Filling water bottles
Making Lunches
Laying out clothes
Checking the calendar

When you’re really tired, getting just one essential thing done in the evening will help you in the morning, it doesn’t have to be a big thing, or take long. If the only thing I do in the evening is lay out my kid’s school clothes, then I consider that a win.

Create a minimum routine

One of the best things you can do when you’re exhausted is to have a minimum version of your usual evening routine.

This means you’ll have:

Your normal evening routine – everything you do each evening
Your minimum evening routine – the absolute essential activities that need to be done after a tiring day

For example, your normal evening routine may include:

Cleaning the kitchen
Loading the dishwasher
Packing lunches
Checking the family calendar
Putting school bags by the door
Laying out clothes for the next day
Writing a quick to do list

Your minimum evening routine includes the tasks from your normal evening routine that are essential for the next day, which may include:

Packing lunches
Checking the family calendar
Putting school bags by the door
Laying out clothes for the next day

Having a minimum version of your normal evening routine means you don’t have to decide what to skip when you’re tired.

Give everything a home

An evening routine becomes much easier when you’re not looking for the items you need to complete it.

For example, if school bags always end up in different rooms, decide on an area in your home where they belong, which could be in a dedicated school bag storage area, on hooks, in a storage bench, or simply piled neatly by your front door.

Knowing exactly where school bags are makes the packing school bags part of your evening routine quick and easy, because you don’t have to spend time looking for them.

Some other items that are easier to find if they’re given a dedicated storage area in your home are:

Shoes
Coats
Lunchboxes
Water bottles
Keys
Sports equipment

You can even create a family command centre, which is an area in your home where the things everyone needs in the morning are stored together.

Toiletry bag, jumper, notebook - items needed for a realistic evening routine.

Do a quick home reset

You don’t need to clean your entire house every night.

Instead, focus on the main living areas of your home, such as the kitchen and living room.

Once you’ve chosen your main living areas set a timer for 10 minutes and focus on tidying up the obvious things, such as:

Putting rubbish in the bin
Loading the dishwasher
Clearing surfaces
Putting things that belong elsewhere away

When the timer ends, stop, you don’t need to find another job.

Build your routine around existing habits

Adding evening routine tasks onto activities you already do is a great way to automatically do them, without thinking about it.

For example, if you want to start checking tomorrow’s schedule as part of your evening routine, then do it after your kids go to bed.

If you want to start packing lunches, do it after an activity you already do at night, such as loading the dishwasher.

This way after your kids go to bed you know you need to then check tomorrow’s schedule, or after you load the dishwasher you automatically know you need to pack lunches.

Make your evening routine visible

When you’re exhausted it’s hard to remember things, so having your evening routine visible means you don’t have to rely on memory to complete it.

Some places you can write your routine are:

Once you’ve written out your routine make sure it’s visible by placing it somewhere everyone can see such as in the kitchen or entryway, or if you’ve chosen to write it on your phone, use a shared calendar so other family members can see it.

How to maintain your routine

Here are some ways to ensure your evening routine is easy to keep up with.

Keep items where you need them

Keeping items that you use in your evening routine where you need them, like lunch supplies together in a drawer, school items together in a homework station, or cleaning products together under the sink, makes your evening routine easier because everything you need is in one place.

Eye mask, pjs, tablet - items needed for a realistic evening routine.

Distribute tasks

Your evening routine shouldn’t automatically become your responsibility.

Delegate tasks to family members, like getting your kids to put away their shoes, pack their school bags, and even help with a living room reset.

Review your routines regularly

Routines need to change as your family changes, when you have extra busy mornings, during school holidays, at the start of a new school year, and even sick days.

Changing your routine, stopping it all together, or removing certain tasks from it is the best way to ensure your routines work for you.

Creating a realistic evening routine – a recap

Creating a realistic evening routine isn’t about squeezing as many tasks as possible into the end of your day.

It’s about deciding what actually needs to happen, what can wait, and what will make tomorrow morning easier.

The best way to start an easy evening routine is to start small. Choose three to five tasks that will make family life easier, such as checking tomorrow’s schedule, preparing school bags, packing lunches, or doing a quick home reset.

Giving frequently used items a home, linking tasks to habits you already do, and creating a minimum version of your normal routine also makes routines easier to maintain.

There will be some evenings where you’ll get everything done, while other evenings you’ll do the bare minimum, and that’s totally okay.

An easy evening routine should leave you feeling less overwhelmed, not more exhausted. Keep it simple, adjust it when your family’s needs change, and give yourself permission to leave things for another time.

Ready to get more organised?

If you enjoyed these tips, don’t forget to download your FREE Organised Mum Life toolkit packed with simple planners and checklists to help make family life easier. Get your FREE toolkit here.

What’s one task you could stop doing at night and leave until tomorrow?

Like this post? Share it with others on Pinterest – Thank you!