“See ya tomorrow, I’m out of here!!” is the favorite battle cry of 9 – 5 workers across the world. There’s nothing more joyous then the moment you leave your job and head out that door.
“Man, I can’t wait to get home!”
Depending on where you live, you now brace yourself for a 20 minute to hour long long commute home. Being stuck in that traffic only adds fuel to your after work fire.
After braving the traffic you finally arrive at your sanctuary. Your castle where you can be your own king or queen. The instant you enter that door you transform again. You are now about to enter into the…
The After-Work Evening Zone Time!
If you’re like most people, all you desire to do is sit on the couch and turn on the TV while browsing your mobile phone. Some meal called dinner interrupts this pattern. Once dinner is over you most likely will go back to the couch to watch some more TV and browse your phone.
As you prepare for bed you realize that tomorrow is another workday, and you got to repeat this whole nonsense again.
Wouldn’t you like to break this evening cycle? Here are some ways to start maximizing your evenings.
Commuter Stress Relief
How do you spend that time commuting once you are done with work? Are you calling family or friends? Are you listening to the radio?
Majority of the time you will be either going home or about to do your evening workout. Which ever is the case you should take advantage of this time by having some “me time”.
If you’re a parent you already know the craziness that your kids will have in store for you when you meet them. Their needs always come before your own. Prep yourself before that encounter.
Take advantage of these commuter hours by listening to something that will actually relieve your stress.
Maybe some meditation music? Or how about a podcast? There are tons out there. Use this time to better yourself instead of just being a mindless zombie prepping for the home.
If you’re about to workout, use this time to clear your mind. Do the above as well, but end your time with a selection of music that motivates and pumps you up.
You want to feel good going into that workout. Use this time to carry some positive vibes and crush it!
Pack Your Gym Bag
If you have a 9-5 job you will be working out in the morning, lunchtime or after work. In each of those scenarios you’re going to need a change of clothes. Do yourself a favor and pack that bag as soon as you get home!
This will save you tons of time in the morning. Make it a ritual to do as soon as you get home.
Eat Dinner At Home
Whether it’s you or your significant other that does the cooking, try to develop a healthy habit to actually eat at home. Having a nightly meal schedule with home cooked meals will get you healthier than eating out ever night.
When eating out every night, the chances of you eating too many calories or foods that don’t help you reach your fitness goals increase drastically!
Work on creating a weekly/monthly meal schedule that allows you plan your meals each night. This will make grocery shopping a lot quicker and effective. Also eating at home decreases the feeling that you have to eat EVERYTHING on your plate!
Engage With People
One of the beautiful things about eating at home is that you can interact with families. Eating together is not as popular as it used to be. We feel our lives are so complicated and rushed. Take time and settle down! Learn what’s going on in each other’s lives. Actually look up and TALK!
Just the act of talking helps relieve all the stresses of your day. It’s a good feeling to hear other’s opinions about your struggles so you know that there’s people out there that care and listen to you.
If you live by yourself, give some of your family and friends a call when you get home. You could even do the call on your way home from work. Use it to actually engage and interact. It should not be stressful.
If there is any anger from the day, chatting is the best way to get it out your system. How many times have we let something bad that happened at work fester inside for weeks! What eventually happens is just a lot of anger that can explode at any time.
Get it out, so you will not be a ticking time bomb!
Pack Your Lunch
I’m a big fan of bringing your own lunch to work. The easiest way to eat healthy is when you take the time and effort to pack lunch yourself. Once dinner is over, it’s a great time to pack leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.
If no leftovers, go ahead and create lunch while cooking dinner. This saves a whole bunch of time in the morning. All you now have to do is pick it up in the morning.
Don’t forget to fill out your water bottle also and pack it!
Electronic Cut Off Time
We love our TVs, computers, mobile phones, e-readers, etc. a little too much. These are the ultimate distractors. One look on YouTube can turn into hours of Thug Life Animal videos! With all that stimulation it becomes hard for our minds to want to shut down.
It’s like a moth to a flame, and once that flame is gone our brain doesn’t know what to do with it. That’s why the majority of people who have sleep disorders chronically over use electronics.
Do yourself a favor and adapt a cut off time anywhere from 30 – 60 minutes before bedtime. Use that time to unwind your mind. It’s hard to develop this habit, but if you want better sleep you have to give this a try!
Read
When going through your electronic cut off time, why not catch up on some reading?
Reading is one of the classic ways to relax your mind. Educate yourself and learn something new, or go to a fantasy dragon land!
Take A Bath
Who takes a bath in the evening hours?
Those who don’t have stressful lives, that’s who!
Soaking in the bathtub is an overlooked way to relieve your stress. It’s the ultimate relaxation tool that you probably forget you have in your home.
Aim for at least twenty solid minutes. The more you can get the better. Light some candles, get that relaxation music going and enjoy!
These were some tips on how to maximize your evenings for a better tomorrow. Use them tonight when you get home and I promise that tomorrow will be much more productive!
