A week of more purposeful evenings

I don’t know about you, but it seems that whether you have kids or not, and work full time/ part time/ whatever, life is pretty knackering. Fabulous, mostly, but knackering, most definitely. And I’m sure I can’t be alone in feeling, that come the evening, I often just want to collapse in a heap on the sofa with a gin and tonic or three and not do much, and often end up aimlessly zoning out at the telly or on my phone. 

If I’m not doing the latter, I’m often working, and there’s actually been feeling like very little fulfilling ‘me’ time for quite a while, the sort where I’ve felt rested and rejuvenated, ready to then hit the hay and then start another day. It doesn’t feel that great really having a few drinks and watching mind-numbing telly, and I started to feel like it was a bit of a waste of an evening. 

But what do you do then if you want to relax and have a rest, but still feel like you’ve actually ‘done something’?

Well a couple of weeks ago I decided that I would try and make my evenings still relaxing, but with more ‘purpose’.

That still means being able to watch the telly, but actively deciding to watch a particular programme i.e. watching an episode of ‘Bodyguard’ as opposed to mindless crap that you just happened to have tuned in to.

It means doing a bit of work if necessary, but choosing an hour window to do it in, sticking to it, and then switching off the laptop in favour of a book and a bath.

It means maybe having a gin and tonic, or glass of wine, but sticking to the one and really enjoying it, rather than passively topping up your glass because you’re tired and have had a stressful day (which in turn breeds more tiredness the next day). 

I’ve found that almost breaking up my evenings into hourly ‘segments’ is helping me control and make better use of my downtime. For example, I’m finding that 7.30-8.30 is for doing any work or for trying to fit in exercise (Adam will often cook dinner for us), 8.30-9.30 (exploring an ‘interest’, having a bath etc), 9.30-10.30 (eg Netflix), then 10.30-11 will be getting ready for bed and then reading a chapter of my book. I also try and put down my phone at certain times, or leave it charging upstairs, as this is the biggest time suck of all (hello, Instagram). 

It may seem anal to some, but so far this approach is working well and I’m not feeling as hard-done-by and like I don’t have any ‘me time’, when actually I have plenty of hours and time- it’s just up to me to spend them well. 

How to you spend your evenings? Do you flop on the sofa or do you pursue hobbies? Do you have any tips to get the most out of your ‘me time’?

Let me know in that box below!

Read some more of my health and well-being posts 

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.