Working Mom evening routine: 12 things to do
Being a working mom is not easy, you get exhausted by the end of the workday but still have things to take care of at home. That’s why you need a working mom evening routine to ensure you relax, unwind, and get set for the next day.
In this post, I am sharing 12 things that are part of my evening routine as a working mom of a 3-year-old toddler to keep me sane. I am sure including these in your night routine after work will make your life easier as a working mom.
Let’s have a look at them.
Why working moms need an evening routine
Before getting into working mom evening routines, I want to draw your attention to why evening routines are a must for working moms.
- You are exhausted and feel tempted to just slouch on the couch. An evening routine will keep you moving and get things done
- You can ensure to relax and unwind
- You will be better prepared for the next day
If you are looking for a full-day routine for a working mom I have a post on Real Daily Routine For Working Moms.
To have a good evening routine it is important that one must unwind from the work and get involved with the personal life. To transition yourself from work life to personal life and relax you must read 5 steps system to help you relax and unwind after a busy day. So let’s start with 12 things that you must include in your evening routine.
12 things working moms must do every night
Here is a list of 12 things every working mom must do every night or during her evening routine.
1: Bath kid and get comfy
As soon as we get back home I immediately take my daughter for a bath. I find it more sense to bathe her in the evening as she spends the whole day at daycare and a hot bath helps her relax and is good for her hygiene too.
After she bathes, I put her in a comfy sleeping dress and give her some snacks and let her watch T.V. while I take bath and head to house chores.
2: Close the kitchen
You must start with cooking dinner and start to wind-up kitchen activities, followed by a gentle cleaning.
Most of the time I prepare dinner in the morning and at times I may just need to just make a salad or some accompaniment in the evening. After finishing the cooking tasks. I start to wind up the kitchen work and do cleaning as by this time the kitchen is a mess.
Most of the time in the morning I just run to work and the kitchen is a mess. As part of the evening routine, I keep back all the things in the right place. Wipe the kitchen counter, and stovetop and clean the kitchen sink. So that it is ready for a fresh start tomorrow.
3: Load and run the dishwasher
I try to unload the dishwasher in the morning but when I am running late I skip it and do it in the evening.
During kitchen cleaning, I keep loading the dishwasher as and when I find dirty utensils and those from the morning in the sink. I then load all the tiffins and containers from the lunch bag of the day. I finish all this before dinner as after eating dinner I don’t feel like doing much.
I just load the dinner plates post-dinner and just before going to bed I run the dishwasher, so when I get up in the morning I have clean utensils to use for the day.
P.S. If you want to build your morning routine, you may read 5 steps to build a morning routine before work that is best for you.
4: Set meal bag for the next day
Morning time is chaos and the last thing over which I would like to waste my time is searching for the things I need to put in a meal bag. So as part of my evening routine, I set the meal bag at night itself.
I keep the tablecloth, napkin, filled water bottle, spoons, and ready snacks like cookies, chocolate, etc in my kid’s meal bag. Sometimes I use store-bought snacks and sometimes the snacks that I prepared on weekends. With all this done I just have to keep the freshly prepared lunch to meal bag in the morning.
As she is at daycare from around 9:30 am to 6:20 pm I need to ensure there is sufficient food for the day and everything that she will need along with it.
Doing this gives me a lot of peace and relive mom’s guilt as I can be sure that during the day when I am not with her, she is at least having healthy food. On days when I would not give her a good meal bag, I feel bad the whole day and difficult to concentrate on work.
5: Check the kid’s backpack
Next, things to do is check the kid’s school bag for any homework or assignment. I check my daughter’s daily diary for any updates from the teacher. If there is a meeting or celebration I add that to my calendar so that I don’t miss it.
While doing this I speak to my daughter and try to know how was her day. As she is too young she doesn’t speak much about her day and I need to ask her many questions to make her speak.
6: Meal prep for the next day
I plan all the meals for the week on weekend. So, in the evening I just give have a glance at the meals for the next day and if any soaking is required I do the same, by doing this the next day morning I can immediately start the day with cooking and I am mentally well prepared for the cooking.
P.S. You may like 10 Things for working mom weekend routine
7: Quick house cleaning
Just after the meal, I do a quick cleaning of the house, it is not elaborate but just put things back in the right place so that the house is functional and we are not searching for things around in the morning.
And clean for any food crumbs and spillage the last thing you need is pest feast when you go to sleep. Keeping your house clean as a working mom is challenging but with little planning definitely doable, you must read 10 simple working mom cleaning hacks for a tidy house.
8: Set out clothes for the next day
Setting out clothes for the next day can be a great way to save time and reduce stress in the morning. It can also help you feel more organized and prepared when you wake up. I set out clothes for myself and ready my bag at night as getting ready for work in the morning with the kid gets really challenging.
I do the same for my daughter too, she likes to pick her clothes for the next day and it kind of helps in trying to make her independent and make choices.
9: Me Time
After all the work, one needs to relax and unwind. Taking care of yourself and having some me time is essential to be a good mother. You can try to include simple activities to practice self-care that may not demand a lot of time. You can read my post on Selfcare ideas for busy moms for some inspiration.
On days when I am too tired to even spend time on self-care, I like to watch TV.
Watching TV while eating is not a recommended practice but when you have little time to spend on yourself and many things to do. I think it’s a wise choice. So I have some brainless (where I would not need to spend a lot of mind or concentration) entertainment while having dinner along with family, sitcoms are my favorite choice.
Before sleeping a few deep breathing exercises and meditation are good to clear your mind and have a good sleep.
10: Cozy bedtime
After dinner, my husband would have some fun with the kid while I do items 3 and 7 of this list. Once I am done with the chores we all have cozy story time or watch out for my daughters to jump on the bed. As working parents, we get less time to spend with kids so the best one can do is try to make the most of it. You can make simple attempts in your everyday life to spend quality time with kids here are the Secrets to spend quality time with your kids in a busy life.
11: Work on a side hustle
Every evening I try to find some time to work on my blog. Having a side hustle is challenging but one of the best things to do. So, one can eventually skip corporate life. It gives you a sense of satisfaction to have something of your own that you have created. On days I am too tired I would skip it and just go to sleep.
12: Plan for the next day
It is always good to spend a few minutes at the end of the day to figure out the things that need to be done the next day. This lets you start the day on the right foot avoid wasting time and get things done. As a working mom managing your time well is very important and planning your day in advance lets you do so and get some peace of mind. You can read my post on 10 Practical Time management tips for working moms.
Conclusion
So, these are the 12 ideas to help you build your evening routine as a working mom. These are simple tasks that you can include in your routine after work to be productive and prepared for the next day and take care of yourself and your family in the simple ways possible.
Related posts you may like:
How to get household back on track after busy times
10 Tips To Be An Organized Working Mom
