Build an Evening Routine
For anyone whose evenings disappear into the couch and a phone screen, then wakes up already behind.
To build an evening routine, pick a consistent shut-down time for work, protect time for the people you live with, move your body, plan the top priority for tomorrow, set out what you need for the morning and give yourself a screen cutoff before bed. A good evening routine is not about cramming in more. It is about closing the day on purpose so tomorrow starts with momentum instead of catch-up.
When I finally committed to writing my book, I had to find the time somewhere. I did not want it to come out of my family’s time.
After dinner and spending time with my boys, I’d head to the gym somewhere between eight and ten at night. I didn’t want to sacrifice time with my family or give up exercising, so I found a way to combine them.
I remember standing there between sets one night, just staring at my phone. I hadn’t written anything yet. I could have put it back in my pocket, finished my workout, and gone home. No one was expecting anything from me in that moment. No one else would have known.
But I would have.
Evenings are where good intentions often slip. Researchers led by Floor Kroese at Utrecht University named the pattern “bedtime procrastination”: going to bed later than you meant to, even though nothing is stopping you. A simple routine gives your evening a shape, so it does not quietly fill up with scrolling.
How you end today decides how you start tomorrow.
Seven steps to a better evening routine
Set a work shut-down time
Pick a time when work ends. Write down anything unfinished so it is out of your head.
Protect time for your people
Dinner, homework help, a walk or a conversation. Give the people you live with your full attention first.
Move your body
A workout, stretching or a walk after dinner helps you unwind and sleep better.
Do one thing for your growth
Read ten pages, write a paragraph or practice a skill. A little every evening adds up.
Plan tomorrow’s top priority
Write down the one thing that matters most tomorrow, so you start with direction.
Set up the morning
Lay out clothes, pack the bag and prep what you can. Your morning self will thank you.
Set a screen cutoff
Put the phone away 30 to 60 minutes before bed and charge it outside the bedroom if you can.
Confidence isn’t built in big moments.
It’s built on kept promises.
A simple evening routine example
- 1. 6:00 Shut down work and write tomorrow’s top priority
- 2. 6:15 Dinner and time with family
- 3. 7:30 Walk, workout or stretch
- 4. 8:30 Read or work on a personal goal
- 5. 9:15 Set up the morning, phone on the charger
- 6. 9:45 Wind down for bed
Related reading: Morning Routine, Weekly Reset Routine and How to Stop Doomscrolling.
In the media: I talked about why time is our most valuable asset, and who we spend it with, on My KC Live on KCTV5 in Kansas City. NY Weekly featured the story of writing my book between sets at the gym, and the goals we keep putting off.
Common questions
What should an evening routine include?
A work shut-down time, time with family, some movement, planning tomorrow’s top priority, setting up the morning and a screen cutoff before bed.
How long should an evening routine be?
It can be as short as 15 minutes of planning and setup or stretch across the whole evening. Consistency matters more than length.
What is bedtime procrastination?
Going to bed later than you intended even though nothing is stopping you, often because of scrolling or screens.
Is an evening routine more important than a morning routine?
They work together. A good evening routine makes a good morning routine much easier.
Shut down work on purpose, give your people your best, move, plan tomorrow’s priority, set up the morning and put the phone away.
You Are Capable
of More.
Ten principles for becoming the person you know you are capable of being, built from real stories of people who doubted themselves and did it anyway. Winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival.
When I’ve got something worth sending.
Just a story or an idea I picked up that I think will help you.
Sometimes that’s twice in a month. Sometimes it’s not for a while.