5 Evening Habits of Successful People
The few keystone rituals that could give you the best life possible
Whether we like it or not, the quality of our days depends quite a bit on the nights before they ever start. Recently, my schedule has been all “out of whack”, as my mom would say.
I checked my sleep tracker recently and discovered that it’s been literal weeks since I went to bed before 12:30 am.
“The perfect day begins with a good evening.” — Ryan Holiday.
Granted, that’s a pretty decent and consistent bedtime for a college student, but it doesn’t mean it’s working for me.
As I’m taking a step back and reworking my evening routine, I’m trying to prioritize what matters most every evening — and have been doing research and thinking back on the routines of the greats to select the best lineup for my evening rituals.
Here’s what I’ve found makes great evening habits every night:
#1: Reconnecting with roommates or family
No matter your living situation or family makeup, connecting with your people every night is essential I think to both your mental health, and to the general good functioning of your home.
“…bedtime routines teach your child self-care and lay the ground for working memory, attention, and other cognitive skills. They also foster parent-child bonding and may help improve mood, stress levels, and behavior.” — Danielle Pacheco
Maybe this involves spending time with friends or your significant other before you go back to your respective homes or talking before you and your family crawls into bed for the night.
Having a routine for this with the people you live with has been shown to provide better sleeping conditions and overall family well-being. The Sleep Foundation published an article called Bedtime Routines for Children that I would recommend if you want to read more about this.
#2: Resetting your space for the next day
This is something that I think is crucial to ending your evenings well and starting your days off right. You don’t have to deep clean everything or put everything back in its spot, but reset it in some way that’s meaningful and helpful for you.
For me, this looks like putting all of my clothes together.
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” — Marie Kondo
Even if I don’t fold the ones that are still clean, putting them in their respective basket in the right place in my closet is helpful.
Resetting my bathroom, laying out my clothes for the next day, and habits similar to this all help me start my day off right, reclaiming authority over my home, my belongings, and therefore my life.
Run your space — don’t let it run you.
#3: Expressing gratitude
You’ll never get to live this day again.
“Expressing gratitude is associated with a host of mental and physical benefits. Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood and immunity. Gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease.” — Mayo Clinic
It’s pretty wild how significant a role gratitude can play in your physical and mental health.
But, when you think about it, it kind of makes sense. Being deeply appreciative of your life, even the small details, primes your mind to see the brighter and more positive parts of life.
Once you have a better outlook, you start to both see and create a better life for yourself, creating a positive loop of goodness and perception of a positive life experience.
Before the day ends, take a second and be grateful. This can be done through meditative practice, journaling, or talking about what you’re grateful for with someone else. However you do it, take time to be grateful every day, and then let yourself be blown away by the results.
#4: Getting creative or journaling
Similar to expressing gratitude, journaling and being creative in the evening hours have been shown to be linked with really positive benefits in both the long and short term.
Ryan Holiday’s website, The Daily Stoic, published this article on The Art of Journaling that I would recommend for more evidence and links to studies that support this practice.
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” — William Wordsworth
But for now, you can know that journaling has been linked to increased productivity, better sleep, less worry surrounding bedtime and less anxiety. I will also say, this doesn’t have to be your stereotypical journaling practice.
Maybe you want to draw out a scene from the day or sketch a picture that represents something going on in your life. However you do it, take time to process, record, and think through your day.
It’s stimulating to your brain, helpful for your sleep, and, not to mention, a fun record to look back on later.
#5: Taking care of yourself
There’s something meditative about having good hygiene and washing a day off of yourself before you go to sleep, whatever that looks like for you.
Don’t discount the importance such a practice can have on your evenings.
There is something powerful for me about washing my face off at night or spending an extra twenty seconds really trying to clean my teeth and use all 30 seconds of my mouthwash swish.
“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” — Brené Brown
However, you take care of yourself at night — do it on purpose. Remember that your body matters and is worthy of care.
This doesn’t have to be done in a hokey way, just in a way that establishes that you are preparing yourself for sleep and the day ahead. When I take time to do this, I feel like I always sleep better, and feel better when I wake up in the mornings after.
It’s easy to let your evenings just happen to you. But it’s time for you to take charge and make the most of this time.
Oftentimes, we get to the end of the day and we’re exhausted. We don’t want to expend the mental energy required to put any more habits or routines into practice.
But I’d encourage you, in the wakefulness and motivation of the morning, to put systems into place that will serve you every night.
Set up your life to encourage these habits and practices to empower you to have better evenings. Your entire day, sleep patterns, and housemates will probably all benefit from your new and improved way of going about the nighttime hours.
