Evening Self-Care Checklist and Routine

Are you a planner? I am, but I have to admit I slack at times. I get sick of always having a to-do list and feeling obligated to “get things done.” Yet, often when I go off my plan I realize I end up watching a lot of television and scrolling through Instagram. When I read my weekly screen time report I’m like “Whoah!” I just spent that much time online. Yikes!!

You see, when I feel like I’ve wasted time, that is the worst feeling. That is precious time I will never get back, no matter how much I want to. That is time I could have been putting toward becoming a better parent, taking care of myself, or working on my business.

So to avoid these negative feelings, I succumb back to my “to-do” list and try to get myself motivated again including my evening self-care checklist and routine.

If I don’t plan for it, sadly it doesn’t happen.

Why I Plan in the Evening

You see, I kind of live life by the Benjamin Fraklin quote, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” And this holds true with self-care.

In fact, I was just featured in a self-care round up and I was asked to provide my bests tip. Guess what this planner lady picked? My best self-care tip is to “write it down.”

This seems odd, right. I should be telling people to “get zen” and “meditate”, perhaps light a candle and read a book… And these are all well and good self-care ideas. Yet, if you do not plan a self-care routine for yourself, you most likely will forget to do them. (It’s not just me, right?)

Life is all about priorities and focus. If you are focusing on other things and forget to plan for yourself, you, yourself will become less of a priority.

Planning a Daily Self-Care Routine

So with that, let’s start planning our self-care in the evening. Yes, have a plan ready for the next day to make sure you are ready to tackle the day and you are taking care of yourself. Hey, if you do this enough, you will eventually form a “self-care habit” and you won’t’ have to think about it as much because you will just take care of yourself automatically.

So let’s start planning for tomorrow, by using this self-care checklist and writing down our action plan for our day and self-care.

Planning out your day will not only allow your day to run more smoothly, but you will plan in breaks for yourself and resting time so you don’t feel deprived.

Are you with me?

Let’s go!

How to Start Using a Self-Care Checklist

Print out this checklist and tape it by your bed or somewhere where you will see it often. Refer to hit for one at least one month and complete each item on the list so after a while it becomes a habit.

The checklist includes six steps

Turn off phone 1 hour before bed – Research shows looking at blue light from computers, phones, and televisions disrupt our circadian rhymes (fancy for sleep pattern). If you continually feel tired and wake up often, try this tip. I promise you will sleep better.
Wash face and use a night cream or makes – If you had your kids wash up and brush teeth before bed, why not you? It is time to remember the small things and take care of your beautiful skin. Try this skincare line for a luxurious treat!
Warm bath – This will help calm and soothe you. If you have knots or sore muscles, a warm bath will do the trick to loosen tension and help you relax. Try a bubble bath for a fun treat!
Plan for the next day – If you want your mornings to go smoothly, planning for the next day is key. Make sure you have kid’s backpacks and lunches ready and you know what is for breakfast (including your breakfast). Also, pick out clothing, so you don’t have to think about any of these things when you are groggy and tired.
Meditate – Meditating before bed will help you soothe your mind from today’s worries and help you stay calm and fall asleep faster. New to meditating? Try setting a timer for five minutes and free your mind of everything. If you have a hard time, try looking up a guided meditation on Youtube. There are literally thousands of them.
Journal writing – Jot down any anxieties you have from the day so you don’t take them to bed with you. One of the most important things to having a good day and feeling well is getting a good night’s sleep, so do everything you can to make that happen.
Sleep in a dark room – Sleep in a dark room or use a sleep mask to get a good night’s sleep. Trust me… Your family will notice when you’re well-rested and when you are not.

Once you start this routine and do it for a while, it will become a habit. Make sure to check back and remind yourself of this list, because I often forget the phone thing and wonder why I can’t sleep for a while!

It is important to practice self-care in the evening because, in the morning, we are often frazzled by getting kids ready or getting ourselves ready for work. So finding time for self-care in the evening is essential and should help you sleep better so you have better days ahead.

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