Productive Evenings & Planning Ahead:
I don’t know about you…but left to my own devices I will give in to too much Netlix and a whole lot of web surfing. For me, one of the healthiest changes that I’ve made to my schedule is taking 3 minutes in the morning to write out a few activities for the evening. This doesn’t mean that you have to cut out tv altogether, rather, it just means sticking to one episode and planning it ahead of time in order to avoid binging.
As we progress through the day our willpower lessens and it becomes more and more difficult to say no to temptations like hours of web browsing and YouTube videos, unhealthy foods, and too much Insta scrolling…or is that just me?
So, the first step is to actually make a list of alternatives.
Here are 10 of my favorites:
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Evening Yoga (Yoga with Adriene is my favorite)
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Reading a novel
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Going for a walk
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Writing in a journal
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Making a trip to the library
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Listening to a Podcast
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Volunteering locally or online
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Sipping a cup of tea
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Trying out Duolingo & learning a new language
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Taking a new class
So, you might be thinking….I would like to volunteer, take a class, read more, or listen to a podcast…but I wouldn’t even know where to begin.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Podcasts to Check Out:
Books to Check Out:
- 10 Books I Can’t Wait to Read
- 10 Books Worth Re-Reading
- The Big Life
- Fake Plastic Love (novel)
- Fitness Junkie (novel)
- Rest
- Chasing Slow
- In the Company of Women
Volunteering: Where to Start?
I know that there are many others but I only listed these two because I’ve used them myself. Both are great resources whether you want to volunteer your time online or locally.
Take A Class:
I’ve taken classes through both of these and there are hundreds of options to choose from. My favorite has probably been the Positive Psychology class from UNC Chapel Hill that I took through Coursera.
You don’t have to do all of these things at once. However, it might be helpful to keep a running list of activities like the ones above that you want to do more of or want to try for the first time. Then, try to fit in at least 1 activity per evening.
For example, here is what my Thursday night schedule looked like:
- Read 1 Chapter of Wild & Free
- Attend Influence Network Class @ 9 PM
- Watch most recent episode of Survivor
[bctt tweet=”You don’t have to plan out every minute or hour of the evening but having 1-3 key things that you want to accomplish can add beneficial structure to an otherwise scattered evening.” username=”@betsyjaime”]
P.S. I usually make my evening list in my Day Designer planner. I simply box off the last 3-4 to do spaces for the day and write, ‘evening activities.’
What do you do in order to be more productive after work? Which of the above tips are you going to implement this week?
Productive Evenings
