How to make your nights worth more: Get ahead and reduce stress with this routine

When you come home, you’re tired and want to fall on the floor. 

Physically, I am the exact same way. Mentally, I am the complete opposite. 

I noticed my body might feel exhausted, but my mind is still racing from the events of the day. 

Sometimes I think about interactions throughout the day and could make a future one better. Other times, I want to serve myself making a wonderful meal whilst organising my home somehow. 

Here is how to leverage your off-time at home to be more productive yet calm and stress-free throughout the week. 

At night, get organised. 

Only for a few minutes. 

All you have to do is speed clean your house, move things where they need to be, and settle your mind. 

Put everything away

My father once told me to clean my room as a teenager. I dusted everything, made my bed, put away my clothes, and vacuumed.

He walked back in to say it’s still not clean. 

I was confused.

He pointed at my desk and said, There are pencils on your desk. 

Put everything away. Clear your mind. 

When your desk has things on it, so does your brain. 

As the true definition of a minimalist, diving into Eastern philosophies, he never had to take anxiety medication and usually thought clearly with calm energy. He never spoke unless it was to make people laugh or say something poignant. 

After this clean your room incident, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson came out with the make your bed routine. How can you take care of others when you can’t take care of yourself? 

You need to put everything away that you took out getting ready for today. 

Your 

• Fridge
• Dishes
• Coffee table topicals
• Shoes 
• Clothes you were wearing out

Are waiting to be stored. They’re literally set there and can’t go anywhere unless you do something. Everything has a place, so put them where they belong to not have to run into them later, lose them, or possibly create an accident. 

My boyfriend loses something three times a day. He has no idea where his keys are. I reminded him I took out a tray for him to set his keys on so he always knows where they are. Everything should have a home, so you’re not fumbling later. 

It does not have to be deep cleaning. Sometimes it will look like shoving everything into a drawer, or putting a bunch of mail into a bag and into my boyfriend’s car. 

The mess is not yours. State that with action. 

I always think it only takes 2-5 minutes. That’s a blink of an eye versus hours of watching streaming. Also, once you find a groove, you don’t realise what time it is, so start right away. 

Do your beauty routine when you get home.

When I get home is when I immediately remove my makeup with a wipe and wash my face. 

It takes two minutes. 

One minute to clean my face. Another to put on oil. 

I learnt to change clothes really fast in the locker rooms as a child. 

My mum also wanted me to discreetly try on clothes in the middle of the store rather than go to a changing room – I have no idea why. There are so many creeps out there. 

It takes my boyfriend longer to get dressed than I do, because I already know the outfit I am wearing.

Sometimes, I will take a shower if I know I am not going to work out tomorrow.

If I do not work out the next day, I shower right away when I wake up or long before bedtime. Skin is already prepped for tomorrow’s glam. 

You should not have to worry about doing your winding down routine or taking off your outside clothes last minute begrudgingly. It makes your nights smoother and seamless. 

No stinky sheets, please! 

This is where you get 8 hours of prime beauty rest and roll around in your most intimate moments. An intimate moment for me is sleep. Nobody should bother you. 

Get serious. 

Only for a few minutes. 

When you come home, your mind is racing and you want to wind down your brain by getting your thoughts out. 

You can do this in the form of 

• Journaling
• talking to your loved one about your day over dinner 
• Facetiming your close friend or family
• Having a dance party in your living room to grow tired 
• take a walk outside or on a treadmill to feel tired 
• Meal prepping
• Learn a light skill like cooking, quick skincare research, or side hustle

I blog and have a couple other businesses, so I always have tons of ideas that I have written throughout my day in my Notes app. Also, this is the time I do administration, send emails to clients, and clean up my computer to feel ready for my next project. 

Do the things NOW.

If you need to do something, do it when you think of it. 

Need money back for a return? 

Post the item at the shipping center and get your money faster. 

Want to work out? 

It takes a few minutes to an hour. 

If you are really feeling unmotivated, make a point of it by making it easier with videos stored on your phone and your Airpods charged. It will fly by, and you will see a streak of gains throughout the week. 

I have a whole list of watch later videos to keep me going throughout the day when I’m stuck in traffic to keep a positive attitude. 

Also, an hour of working out is such a short amount of time versus hours wasted time. You can still stream your favourite shows, but while you do something that serves you. 

Laundry takes too much time?

My trick is to take out items I need for that week that are high priority and wash them. 

Over time, I will see what items I keep grabbing and buy more of them. I noticed my boyfriend always steals my socks, so he bought more socks. I have four months worth of underwear but need to restock soon, because they are falling apart. 

The rest can wait. But not too long, because they will be stinkier.

Instead of waiting for the end of the week when you have four loads of washing, you can do one during the week that will sustain you consistently with less stress and work for the future. 

Your life moves faster and you get more done with a dopamine hit of accomplishment. But you also clear your mind of any procrastination stress. 

Everything only takes a few minutes!

You can do a world of damage in that time. 

By taking a few intentional moments each night to organize, care for yourself, and complete small tasks, you turn exhaustion into clarity and calm. This simple routines free your mind, boost your productivity, and allow you to show up fully for what matters most. 

You will also fortify your routine when you find yourself to be invincible with powerful small habits that move the needle to where you want to be. It only takes 1% to show up next time, making you grow faster and want to do more.

When your nights work for you, your days—and your life—become more effortless, intentional, and empowered. To get the full permanent glow up, join The It Girl School and dive deep for more.