A Cozy & Bookish Evening Routine – W/ Timestamps

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I am currently in the middle of another reading slump. This current slump has been going on for nearly 6 months and I am ready to get back on track. Not just with my reading, but also my routines, and really feeling a little more put together.

(In a book slump? Check out some tips to get back to reading!)

So I am revisiting one of my favorite routines, my evening routine. This time, prioritizing more self-care in terms of exercise, reading, and rest. 

My cozy & bookish evening routine consists of:

• A workout or decompression session
• A long hot shower
• Dinner + time with my fiancé
• Content work & next day prep
• Reading time

5:30 pm – Workout or Decompression Session

I get home a bit before 5:30 and love to use the transition time to jump directly into a workout or taking a moment to decompress from a particularly stressful day. 

A workout is the perfect type of transition activity to really switch from corporate brain to home brain. 

I prefer to workout indoors and find that either listening to an audiobook on the treadmill or following a YouTube workout on the tv are my two go to’s. 

Or if it has been a bit too much of a day, sometimes laying down in bed for about 15-20 minutes to give myself a chance to let it all go helps tremendously. 

Sometimes just laying down in silence and allowing the stress of the day to melt away can be just what I need to begin my evening routine. 

I’ve learned that both activities are not only important, but necessary. Especially for my mental health and not feeling like I’m holding on more than I should be. 

6:15 pm – A long, hot shower

I recently discovered that I live in an area with hard water. A lot of my skin conditions began to make sense once I made this discovery. 

So I did some research and found a showerhead with a built-in filter to help soften the water and reduce a lot of the chemicals and minerals. 

(I bought this one, [not an affiliate link])

I’ve been using the new shower head for about a month and I am mostly noticing a difference in my scalp.

I also love the waterfall feel and I actually kinda look forward to taking showers now. 

6:30ish pm – Dinner + Time with my fiancé

Lately I have been on a crock pot recipe kick. I mostly love that I can prep the ingredients the night before, and since my fiancé works from home, he can dump everything in the morning.

Then, by the time both of us have finished our work/workouts, dinner is ready. Other nights I will cook dinner. I find cooking to be a nice way to decompress as well. 

We like to watch an episode of something (currently obsessed with Crime Scene Kitchen and The Rings of Power!). We like to spend this time discussing the episodes and catching up with each other.

Usually after dinner, we split up and spend time on our own interests and hobbies. Which leads me to the next small time block of the evening. 

8 – 9:30 pm – Cozy/Content work & next day prep

I like to spend an hour on content work in the evenings. And I will admit, I have been skipping this part of might night routine. (Partially thanks to burnout.)

Instead, I’ve been re-watching shows all evening after dinner. Which is a habit I’d like to reduce significantly. 

Spending an hour on content work is generally enough time to script, edit, brainstorm, write, and plan. 

I think the introduction of cozy nights led me to abandoning my content nights, so I’m trying to be better about balancing cozy nights and content nights. 

Currently, I plan to alternate between cozy and content nights. And then tweak my schedule as time goes on. 

After completing some of my content work, I like to pack my lunch and snacks for the next day. This makes my mornings so much easier and is one less than I have to do later. 

10 pm – Reading Time

I’ve been really enjoying making a hot cup of tea and curling up under my comforter to read on my Kindle. 

Though, I might be ditching the tea aspect of this part of my routine because I have been having the most vivid (sometimes scary) dreams. Though I think it may also be time to switch to decaffeinated teas. 

But I am really trying to give myself about 45 minutes to an hour of reading time a night. I’m currently reading Phantasma by Kaylie Smith and I am LOVING it. 

Making sure I have enough time to read has also helped a lot with curbing the desire to continue reading and ruin my sleep schedule altogether. 

My goal during week nights is to be lights out by 10:45, if not earlier. 

Rest is super important and I’m finding I cannot skimp of sleep. Even though I am only 31, I can feel a difference in myself when I don’t sleep well. 

When I was a teenager, I could usually just shrug it off, but the older I get, the more I’m finding taking care of myself to be at the forefront. 

And setting goals is changing because I am prioritizing my health first. 

Fall/winter is my absolute favorite for cozy routines. I definitely struggle with the “cozy” aspect in spring and summer. 

How about you? How is your cozy evening routine working for you?