This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
We've talked about how to make your evenings productive, as well as how to relax after a stressful day and after-work routines — but it's been a while. How do you make the most of your evenings and turn them to your favor for health, happiness, and maybe even productivity? Here are some of my best tips, but I'd love to hear yours…
1. Plan for Tomorrow.
I heard one podcast for business owners where she was suggesting to immediately figure out what you want/need to learn, then download a podcast, find an article or book, or queue up a YouTube video… and then watch it the first thing you do when you wake up, instead of scrolling through social media or playing a silly Internet game.
Meal prep is also great — even just pre-planning your day on paper is great, particularly if you're trying to lose weight. Putting your workout clothes out and knowing what you're planning on doing can really help, also.
2. Turn off social media.
I stink at this — I am often scrolling through Twitter or Facebook far too late into the evening! But particularly in these… interesting… political times, it's ok to put your phone down and step away from it. In fact, enforcing a strict digital curfew is a great way to limit your own screentime as well as enjoy good sleep hygiene.
3. Think about Life Goals and do what you can.
I don't necessarily mean, like, “become president” — but more like flossing, in that it may be a life goal to keep all your own teeth as long as possible. Similarly, if you want to read good books and have no time for it, try to do 15 minutes — even 5 minutes! — a night before bed. (Audiobooks count!) If you enjoy traveling and have a number of spots on your bucket list, try to research small portions before bed. If you have energy to work out in the evening, my hat is off to you.
4. Assess the energy you have left and plan wisely.
Before kids I always loved going out with friends in the evenings rather than on weekends because my energy tends to be so low in the evenings unless it's a continuation of an afternoon productivity burst/flow kind of thing. A long walk (particularly on a phone with a friend or my mother!) is also a great activity for me in the evening — I call them “walk and talks.” If yoga is something you find benefit in and you can fit it in, do that. If an early evening workout works for you (my hat is off to you!), make it part of your routine.
Readers, how about you — what do you do to make the most of your evenings? What proportion is “me time,” extra work hours, exercise, or just planning?
anon
I have to say, my evenings could really use a makeover. By the time we’re done eating dinner, do stuff with the kids, do a bare minimum number of chores to keep things under control, and do the whole bedtime routine … I am totally spent. I’m either falling asleep on the couch by 8:45, or, conversely, I’m so tired-wired that I find it hard to settle down and my sleep suffers as a result.
NOLA
I’ve gotten into some bad habits. I go to the gym after work, so I come home tired, feed kitties, shower, then finally eat dinner and that’s sometimes at closer to 8 pm. I will usually set up everything for the morning in the kitchen (my coffee stuff, breakfast bowls, cat bowl, etc.) and will put together what I can for my gym bag (leaving my shoes to dry out until the morning) and make sure my Kindle is charged to read while I work out. After that, I often just sit on my bed with my laptop, mindlessly looking at Facebook, maybe paying bills and getting finances caught up in Quicken, shopping online (without buying anything), playing Freecell, watching TV until I’m read to go to sleep. I really need to remind myself that I can do a few chores (dusting, cleaning up the bathroom or kitchen) or knit. Knitting is the thing that’s just sitting there and I forget about it. I could be a lot more productive. But seriously, it’s maybe an hour and a half between when I finish dinner and when I’m winding down for bed, so it’s not like I could be writing a novel.
anon
fwiw, you are doing great! Regular workouts, prepping the next day, taking care of your kitties. You can’t be productive every waking minute!
Anonymous
I was thinking the same thing. This sounds like a good blend of restorative and responsible.
Alyssa
Yeah this sounds very put together!!!!!!
anon
+1,000!!!
Sounds like you’re doing great. I am someone who needs spare time for my brain to just run and do it’s thing. I liken it to letting a horse out into a pasture to noodle around and do whatever in an unsupervised way. It’s restorative and necessary.
Anon
I don’t know, I think I kind of disagree? And I say that as somebody who also does this. Mindless internet scrolling is not good for me, I know this and yet I still do it a lot. I need something a little better for my mind, definitely not every night, but *something* that’s more engaging. Even just doing cross stitch or reading a book instead of watching tv and internet-ing.
NOLA
That’s exactly what I meant! I read at the gym and read while I’m eating dinner, so I generally don’t read after that, but I do need to do something besides meaningless scrolling. Knitting would help. I often do jigsaw puzzles online, so there’s that.
NOLA
Thanks! I guess I’ve been feeling like I come home so tired at this time of year. Just mentally depleted. But not doing anything of value in the evenings makes me kind of sad and I do feel better when I’m accomplishing something. It’s a big deal for me to go out on a weeknight, and especially now, since I’m teaching later on Tuesdays and Thursdays and have rehearsals on Wednesdays. Like Anon at 2:47 pm, I feel like maybe I need to do something more engaging. The knitting project (a simple one – a prayer shawl) is literally in a basket next to the bed and I haven’t even started it because I’m a zombie.
Anonymous
Sounds like your brain needs time to relax, not like it needs more to do.
Anon
I really don’t think so. That’s what she’s doing now and it’s not helping. Something easy but engaging is going to be best.
Anon
Do you like crosswords? I find that something that works well because it’s only engaging a specific part of my brain.
NOLA
I do online jigsaw puzzles!
Sue
Is there a post office that is open on Sundays in New York City? Weird question I know but trying to plan on sending a package where I need proof that I sent it so have to do this in person at the post office.
Anonymous
The main huge branch on 8th avenue around 31st street should be open. I think it’s officially called the Farley building – used to even be open 24 hours, and the 11pm news would always broadcast live from there on tax day to interview the people waiting in line to get that last-minute April 15 postmark. :)
LaurenB
Why don’t you just go to a Fedex? While it won’t actually go out on Sunday, you can certainly get proof of sending (and proof of receipt if needed).
Anonymous
Do you mean in Manhattan specifically? I would check the main post office, and if not that, then look at post offices in primarily Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Midwood).
anon
Yes, the Farley post office near Penn Station has Sunday hours. It also has postage machines available in the lobby so that you can print the label for the package and stick it on the box, and put the box through the window. That way, it is postmarked the day you print the sticker.
Anonymous
Depending just how important the proof of mailing is, be careful with printing your own postage and sending the letter yourself via the box. I did this and the tracking information atated the package was “expected” on the stamp date, but then my overnight express package did not get delivered for several days. It was infuriating. I actually handed that package over to a counter agent, but she did not check it in because it was already marked and I skipped the line to just hand it over.
Anon
Has anyone made the move from government legal to private sector? I started out at a mid-sized law firm 20 years ago and ended up moving rather quickly into government service. Now I’m thinking of making the move back into private practice, most likely in an of counsel type role since I’m in a specialized field. I’m looking for higher pay but not egregious hours. Does such a thing exist?
BabyAssociate
What type of work? I’m in private sector regulatory, so people who move from the government regulator to the private sector are in very high demand.
Anon
mostly land use law, some eminent domain, billboard, utilities, etc.
anon
I’m also in regulatory (utilities) and my partner as well (drugs), and everyone we know moves easily back & forth. Hrs in the private sector don’t seem to be that different, although the mentality & lack of job security in the private sector makes everyone more stressed out than they need to be.
Ellen
I kind of did. I had summer jobs in DC working in legal for goverment, then trnasitioned over to the private sector where I stayed. It was very easy in DC, but the attorneys spent more time ooogeling women out the window then working. It is the opposite now. No one can ooogle out the window, but our CFO likes to oooogle me. FOOEY on him!
Anon
Riding horses twice a week after work. Gamechanger.
Vicky Austin
Man, #4 is so hard for me. I’m always sitting in my kitchen at 10 pm deep in an Instagram rabbithole and still thinking to myself, “I’m gonna meal prep a whole salad and put away all the laundry and have a nice long bath.”
Coach Laura
I’ve started meal-prepping after dinner so that the next night, dinner is done and there are usually two other dinners made and frozen. So I don’t do it every night – maybe once a week. Pinch of Yum’s 16 freezer meals have been game-changing along with my instant pot. Other freezer meals or meal prep never saved me much time but pinchofyum require almost no prep and are like “dump” recipes that don’t taste like they are easy. I have about 10 in my freezer right now.
I also always get my lunch ready to pull from the fridge or freezer in the morning. And I lay out my workout clothes or bike riding gear so I can get ready without thinking much in the morning.
anon
Question- I’m an experienced lawyer working in an adjacent field applying for jobs. For the last 7 years I’ve worked at a company that is currently… imploding and exploding. I’m thinking of jumping ship. A lot of the jobs require a writing sample… I don’t feel comfortable using anything I use for work for a variety of reasons. Everything I write is also covered by about a thousand non-disclosure laws. Can I use an old, but good, writing sample for a different field that I worked in prior to this? It’s a t&e legal memo. My field isn’t at all related to t&e.
Otherwise… what do people use as writing samples?
Sal
I don’t think so. I think you’re going to have to just write something for the sample.
Anonymous
Redact privileged information
Caitlin
Redact privileged information
Anonymous
Yeah, you will just need to craft something from whole cloth. An industry article is where I would start.
Anon
Watch TV, eat dinner, shower, read, go to bed. My routine is boring but I like it. I’m an introvert and I need quiet me time at the end of the day.
Fall Bake Sale ideas?
Here is something to do with your evening or weekend free time…bake something for the fall bake sale. What are you baking for the church, school, team or insert organization here bake sale? Looking for new ideas…..thanks!!!
Ellen
I would eat up all of the profits! HAHA! I think if I had a boyfreind, I would spend my evenings watching TV with him, then garden b/f we went to sleep. My ex used to wake me up at night to garden, and I found that very distracting.