Working from home has a lot of perks, but one thing I’ve noticed is that there isn’t really a natural end to the workday.
There’s no commute home or drive where I can mentally switch from work mode to being done for the day. I close my laptop and I’m already home.
Because of that, having an after work routine has become really important to me. It gives me something to look forward to after logging off and helps me separate my 9-to-5 from the rest of my life.
Unlike my 5am morning routine, my evenings are a mix of resting, making dinner, talking to people I love, getting some movement in, working on my blog, and getting ready for the next day.
I definitely don’t follow every part of this routine perfectly every night, but this is what a typical weekday looks like for me.
My After Work Routine
I Take a Nap After Work
The first thing I usually do after logging off is take a nap.
I know some people absolutely cannot nap during the day without waking up confused about what year it is, but I love a good nap. Since I work from home, it also gives me that separation I don’t get from having a commute.
Usually, I’ll sleep for about an hour. I work pretty early in the morning, so by the time I’m done with work, I’m ready for it.
I don’t necessarily think everyone needs to add a nap to their evening routine after work, especially if naps interfere with your sleep at night.
For me, though, it works.
I wake up feeling like I’ve closed out one part of my day and can move on to everything else I want to do.
I Make Dinner and Catch Up With Family
After my nap, it’s usually time to start thinking about dinner.
I actually like this part of my evening because I’ll normally call someone while I’m cooking.
Sometimes it’s family, sometimes it’s a friend, and sometimes I’m talking to my husband once he gets home.
My husband works in an office while I work from home, so we have completely different experiences throughout the day. There’s usually a lot to catch up on when he gets home.
Cooking dinner while talking to someone also makes cooking feel less like another chore I have to complete after working all day.
Depending on what I’m making, I’ll put my phone on speaker and talk while I cook, clean up the kitchen, and get everything ready.
I think this is one of my favorite parts of my after work routine because I’m getting something done without feeling like I’m still working.
Also Read: Easy one-pan dinner ideas
I Go on a One-Hour Walk
After dinner, I like to go on a long walk.
And when I say long, I mean I’m usually out there for about an hour MINIMUM.
Walking has easily become one of my favorite things to do after work. I used to run, but I eventually had to stop. Since then, walking has become my main form of cardio, and I actually really enjoy it.
It gives me time to get out of the house after being home working all day.
Sometimes I listen to a good podcast, sometimes I do walking meditation, sometimes I think about random things, and sometimes I just walk.
I’ve also personally noticed a difference in how I sleep when I’m consistent with my evening walks. I tend to sleep better, and walking regularly has been helpful for maintaining my weight.
Another reason I prioritize walking is blood sugar management.
Physical activity after eating can help reduce post-meal glucose spikes because working muscles can take up glucose, so I like getting some movement in after dinner.
For me, my evening walk has become an easy way to make that movement part of my normal day.
I’m not trying to do an intense workout every single night. I’m literally just walking.
And I love it.
Shop My: Favorite walking shoes
Shop My: Favorite Headphones
If It’s Raining, I Work Out at Home
Obviously, there are days when going for an hour-long walk isn’t happening.
If it’s pouring outside or the weather is terrible, I’ll usually do an at-home workout instead.
I have a few fitness YouTubers I really like, so I’ll pull up one of their workouts and do that at home. This is also why I don’t think an after work routine has to look exactly the same every single day.
The goal for me is simply to move my body.
Most days that means walking. Other days that means putting on a YouTube workout in my living room.
Having an alternative makes it much easier for me to stay consistent without feeling like my entire routine is ruined because the weather didn’t cooperate.
Sometimes I Pick Up Groceries
Depending on what we need at home, I might stop for groceries after my walk.
This definitely isn’t an everyday thing.
Sometimes I realize we’re missing something I need for the next day, or I just want to grab a few things instead of doing a huge grocery trip later.
Since I’m already out of the house, I would much rather stop while I’m out than come home, get comfortable, and realize I need to leave again.
Once I walk through that door and shower, I’m done going places for the night.
Then It’s Shower, Skincare, and Pajamas
When I get home, the first thing I want is a shower.
After walking for an hour, especially when it’s hot outside, I’m ready to shower and change into something comfortable.
Then I’ll do my nighttime skincare routine and put on my pajamas.
This is probably the point in my evening routine after work when I really start settling down for the night. I’ve worked, cooked, eaten, walked, and done whatever errands I needed to do.
Now I can stay home.
There’s something about showering and putting on pajamas that immediately tells my brain the active part of my day is over.
I Plan and Time Block the Next Day
Once I’m comfortable, I pull out one of my digital planners.
I am a huge planner person, especially because I’m balancing my 9-to-5 with running my own blog and business.
If I wake up without knowing what I’m supposed to be doing that day, I feel like I waste too much time figuring it out. I would rather make those decisions the night before.
So I look at anything I need to get done for work the following day, check what I need to work on for my business, and time block everything.
I don’t plan every second of the day. I just like knowing what my main priorities are and roughly when I’m going to work on them.
For example, if I know I have something important to finish for my 9-to-5, that obviously gets blocked into my workday. Then I might decide that after work the following day, I’m going to edit a blog post, work on Pinterest, or handle something else for my business.
It makes the next morning so much easier because I’m not starting from zero.
I Work on a Rough Draft for My Blog
Since I’m also a blogger, I normally spend a little bit of my evening working on my blog.
But I’ve learned that I don’t need to finish an entire blog post every time I sit down to write.
That mentality used to make blogging feel like such a huge task.
Now, I like creating rough drafts.
I’ll get the main ideas out, organize the sections, and write as much as I feel like writing that night. Then I have something sitting there waiting for me when I’m ready to edit and publish it.
This has made keeping up with my blog so much easier.
Instead of thinking, I need three hours to write this entire blog post, I can spend a smaller amount of time getting the draft started.
Then maybe tomorrow I edit it. Another day I add photos. Then I optimize it and publish it.
Having several drafts ready to go also means I’m not constantly scrambling to figure out what I’m going to publish next.
When you have a full-time job and you’re also trying to grow something of your own, I think you have to find little systems like this that make things easier.
I Drink Spearmint Tea While I Work
Somewhere between planning tomorrow and working on my blog, I make my herbal tea.
And lately, it has been spearmint tea.
I loveeeee spearmint tea.
At this point, making a cup at night has become part of my routine.
I originally started drinking it because I had heard so much about spearmint tea and hormones.
There is some research looking at spearmint tea and androgen levels in women, although the research is still limited and that doesn’t mean it will have the same effects for everyone.
Personally, though, I swear by my spearmint tea. I feel like it has worked really well for me, and even outside of that, I genuinely enjoy drinking it.
There’s also something about having a hot cup of tea while I’m sitting with my planner or writing a blog post that makes the whole evening feel a little more relaxing.
I Read Before Going to Sleep
Once I’m finished working on my blog, I’m done being productive.
I don’t want my entire evening to turn into a second workday just because I have a blog.
So I’ll usually grab my Kindle and read.
Sometimes I’m reading an actual book. Other nights, I’ll find an article about something I’m interested in and end up going down a rabbit hole learning about it.
I genuinely enjoy reading and learning about random things, but it also has another benefit for me.
It makes me sleepy.
I can be completely awake when I start reading and then suddenly realize I can barely keep my eyes open.
At that point, I’m not fighting it.
I set my alarm for the next morning, put everything away, and go to sleep.
What My After Work Routine Looks Like by the Hour
I start my workday pretty early, which means I also finish earlier than someone working a traditional 9-to-5 schedule.
My exact timing changes depending on the day, but a normal evening looks something like this:
3:30 PM: Log off work and officially start my after work routine.
3:30–4:30 PM: Nap.
4:30–7:00 PM: Make dinner, eat, talk to my husband or catch up with family and friends. If I need to get anything else done, I can usually fit it somewhere around this part of the evening.
Around 7:00 PM: Head out for my walk. I try not to push this too late because then everything else gets pushed back too.
Around 8:00 PM: Come home, shower, do my skincare routine, and put on pajamas.
8:00–9:30 PM: Look over my planner, time block tomorrow, work on a blog draft, and drink my spearmint tea.
Around 9:30 PM: Put the work away and read on my Kindle or read something interesting online.
Around 10:00 PM: Set my alarm and go to bed.
I’m definitely not watching the clock every five minutes trying to stay perfectly on schedule. This is just the general rhythm that works for me.
Why This Evening Routine After Work Works for Me
The biggest thing I like about my routine is that it gives me a little bit of everything I need.
I get to rest, talk to people I love, move my body and get outside, take care of myself, prepare for the next day, and make progress on my business.
And then I stop.
That last part is important because having a side business can easily turn into working from the second you wake up until the second you go to sleep.
I don’t want that.
I want my blog and business to grow, but I also want to have an actual life outside of both my business and my 9-to-5.
Some evenings I do more. Some evenings I do less. If I’m exhausted, I’m not going to force myself to draft a blog post just because it’s technically part of my routine.
That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve learned from creating an after work routine. It doesn’t have to be perfectly optimized.
Your routine just needs to make your evenings work better for you.
For me, apparently that means a nap, dinner, an unnecessarily long walk, pajamas, my planner, a half-written blog post, spearmint tea, and my Kindle.
And I’m completely okay with that.
