Struggling to balance work and family, chores and quality time with kids in the evening? Discover the best evening routine for working moms to reduce stress, boost productivity, and create a smoother night routine for busy moms like you and me. Start ending your day feeling relaxed and prepared for the next day ahead so you can win the morning. Let’s get started.
Why It’s Helpful To Create THE Best Evening Routine For Moms
One day it was enough. My start to the day was so chaotic. First I had to go downstairs to get the next pack of coffee because I ran out of the last one in the kitchen, which of course I spilled. Then I looked for my house keys and soon realized that I didn’t have any bread ready for my breakfast box. Enough! I decided I needed this time-saving evening routine for moms with kids that other moms had been telling me about. I researched. A lot. This post is the outcome.
I created my own productive evening routine for working moms using the following checklist below (free and editable!). My life as a mother has changed so much for the better. I was finally able to enjoy a stress-free evening routine for working moms. Because this list reminds me what I need to get done in the evening – even when I’m tired – so I can win the morning and start the day well-prepared.
Preparing for the morning in the evening can be life-changing. Only then can you enjoy a truly smooth and stress-free start to the day. Let’s see how you too can do it once and for all without over-scheduling your evenings too much.
What Is THE Best Evening Routine For Moms?
One word to answer that question: consistency.
The best evening routine for working moms (as well as the best morning and night routine) is the one you can stick to. One that consistently starts and ends the same way each morning and evening (because one depends on the other). Don’t over-schedule this time. Because nothing is more important than consistency when it comes to your daily routines.
What you may also find helpful is to divide your productive evening routine for moms into two blocks. One is a typical after work routine for moms which we talk about in this post. The other is a simple night routine for working moms and we will cover that too. However, just establish a consistent schedule.
How To Have A Good Evening Routine

Creating a peaceful home environment is the most important element of a good evening routine. I can tell you this because I know what it’s like to not have one. I have noticed big changes in our children’s behavior in the evenings (and mine too) since we made three big changes:
- No screen time in the evening. That was a hard one. But quickly, we were able to cut out 90% of TV time. Today, our life is easier without. Now, TV is reserved for special occasions or circumstances.
- Meal planning was done the day before (and most of the meal prep too) which takes a load off your shoulders since you don’t have to figure out what’s for dinner at the last minute.
- Preparing for the next day is not just Mom’s responsibility, but our kids’ responsibility as well. I tell you how we do it down below.
Furthermore, there are some science-backed evening habits for a stress-free morning you should know about. If you take care of those (which will not be easy) you can truly have a good evening routine for working moms. I will present you the three most important ones now.
Setting The Foundation For A Productive Evening Routine
Eat two to three hours before bedtime. That’s because your digestion slows down as your body prepares to go to sleep. You need to give yourself this time so that your body isn’t in digestion mode when you actually want to sleep. Because when it does, it doesn’t allow your body to switch off, so to speak, as it blocks the sleep hormone melatonin.

Dim the lights to maintain your circadian rhythm. That is your 24-hour internal body clock determined by the rotation of the Earth around its axis. It allows you to respond to natural light changes (that make you awake or sleepy). This is how you are shaped by the Earth’s natural rhythms, which in turn are expressed by external factors such as light. Use that to your advantage.
Go to bed time at the same time, every single day (even on the weekends). Choose a realistic bedtime. That is crucial to synchronize your circadian rhythm. If you don’t do this (on weekends), your sleep rhythm and schedule varies and you experience “Social Jetlag”. You will find it harder to fall asleep on Sunday evening and expect poor sleep. This is because your body doesn’t release melatonin (the sleep hormone) in a timely manner.
How To Balance Work And Family With A Good Evening Routine
Is there even a work-life balance for moms? I would rather call it work-kids balance. When we are not working, we devote most of our time to our kids or to doing chores. When I became a first-time mom I was totally overwhelmed trying to balance work and family as a busy mom. There are only 24 hours in a day. It felt like I either work too much or devote too much time to my little bundle of joy – there was always guilt.
What I was missing was structured routines for daily family life which I follow unconditionally. At least most of the time. Because a structured family life is an easy life. Unfortunately, I underestimated the importance of a structured evening routine for working moms. But it makes all the difference. So, how can you start?
Managing Family Time Efficiently

Setting a consistent night routine for busy moms like you and I means to manage family time efficiently. What do I mean by that?
First, prioritize quality time with kids before bedtime and quality family time too. If possible, go outside and just play with your children in nature or a park nearby. You will get to do the chores you need to like meal prep later on (when the kids are in bed). You’ll also have time for self-care later on. I’ll share below how we approach this as a family of four (soon to be five) like involving kids in evening tasks such as packing bags after we had quality time.
Second, you need to set boundaries between your work and personal life. I’ve already talked about limiting or eliminating screen time in the evening and putting away your phone. More details in a second on how I do this step-by-step after my work day ends.
That will lead to that work-life balance and to a productive evening routine for moms helping you to reduce morning stress too ensuring both you and your kids start the day refreshed.
Bonus tip: create a relaxing bedtime routine to allow more meaningful moments with your loved one. To me this was only possible because I knew I took care of everything else before.
This Working Mom After School Routine Makes Me A Better Mom

There are 2 rules to create that after work routine for moms that can actually make you a better mom (it made me a calmer one): unplug (put your phone away, really!) and involve your spouse and kids. Here’s my current evening routine for working moms I recommend (after having two kids, soon to be three):
- Get home / out of your home office and take a break (and a deep breath)
- Put your phone away!!!
- Grab your kids from daycare or school (if it’s your turn)
- Unpack your kids’ backpacks with the kids
- Take time for your kids to unwind (no homework!) – go outside and just play with your kids
- Time for homework (if needed)
- Start prepping the next day with the kids
- Make breakfast or lunch boxes for the kids with the kids
- Prepare breakfast for the kids (have everything they need ready including plates and glasses)
- Lay out your kids’ clothes for the next day with the kids
- Free play-time for your kids -> time to make dinner
- Dinner time
- Tidy up the table & entire home together as a family (put everything lying around back in its place)
- Quick vacuuming together as a family (my two-year-old loves using our handheld vacuum cleaner)
- Unload the dishwasher (if you haven’t already) and reload it to enjoy a clean sink in the morning
A Night Routine For Busy Moms: Preparing For The Next Day

There are a couple of things you could prepare in the late evening to have a calm, stress-free morning. This is my current simple night routine for working moms, which I recommend to every mom who wants to win the morning, so to speak.
- Dim the lights
- Make yourself a healthy, nutritious breakfast box & snack or lunch box
- Prepare your morning coffee or tea (have your cup and everything else you need ready)
- Prepare everything you need for your kids’s morning drink, such as milk or tea
- If you have a newborn and are bottle-feeding or pumping breast milk, prepare everything you need for your newborn’s bottle and pumping session
- Lay out your clothes for the next day
- Meal planning for working moms: have everything ready that you will need for the next day’s meals
- Put the laundry in the washing machine and pre-program so that it’s ready the next morning
- Prepare your workspace and have a water bottle and your schedule ready (do a short preview too)
- Tidy up the room you are in during your morning routine (when your space is cluttered, your mind is cluttered, and cortisol levels rise, making you feel stressed)
FREE Printable Checklist: Evening Routine For Working Moms
That’s inside your free checklist for a productive evening routine for moms:
- One page with customizable sections for personalized routines
- One Page with ideas for your working mom after school routine & night routine for busy moms
- One Page with (science-backed) inspiration for your evening routine
How To Create A Relaxing Night Routine As A Working Mom
I’ve found that the foundation of creating a relaxing night routine as a working mom is to include your kids and spouse, as mentioned earlier. For me, this is first and foremost my husband. When my after school routine or evening routine or whatever you want to call it is over, he goes upstairs with the kids to get them ready for bedtime. And he takes care of that too. With that, I can start my simple night routine for working moms following my 10 steps from above.
You can read plenty of tips on bedtime routines for kids and moms. But none of this ever suggests giving this precious time to your spouse. What a gift it is to be able to put your children to bed. Every evening. At least most evenings. The time will come soon enough when they will put themselves to bed. For us, that is the exact family evening routine for working parents that is just perfect.

Self-Care & Relaxation: Evening Self-Care Routine For Working Moms
By having my husband on board I typically still have at least a bit of time to myself when I finished my night routine. Time for self-care and relaxation.
Don’t make the mistake of getting lost in the hustle and bustle of the evenings. Even if you are tired and just want to fall asleep, take 5 minutes for yourself. My ideal evening self-care routine for working moms has one goal: relaxation. I love reading a few pages to relax. If possible, and if my husband is available, I talk to him about the day. It’s a way to connect during our busy family days.
If you want more suggestions on self-care tips for busy moms you may want to read the last blog post How To Create A Simple Morning Routine For Working Moms In 7 Steps. I’ve found that mornings are the ideal time of day for self-care. Much more than the evenings. This is because most mothers are dead tired after a full day of work and family demands.
Sleep Hygiene For A Restful Night
I can’t emphasize enough how important good sleep is (even or especially with small children or babies at home). We can just do our best and hope for a good night. But most of the time we don’t give our best and neglect sleep hygiene. We don’t truly care about creating a calming sleep environment, do we?
I mentioned the importance of setting a consistent bedtime and why (because of your circadian rhythm and “Social Jetlag”). Why should you avoid screens before bed? Again, you will mess up your circadian rhythm. You see, we humans are truly shaped by the Earth’s natural rhythm and the changes in light we experience as the Earth rotates. We can’t help it. But, we can take advantage of it. In the blog post How To Create A Simple Morning Routine For Working Moms In 7 Steps I tell you how.

Now I’d love to hear from you: Have you already found a consistent evening routine you can stick to and if not, why not? Let me know in the comments below.
When you walk away today with at least one new idea to improve your financial journey, I’d love to show you some more in the next post. If you haven’t already, you can apply to become a part of the community to not miss any new release. For that you can subscribe to our newsletter below in the green footer.
Title image source: Shelby Deeter on Unsplash