How to Be More Productive in the Evening?

Note: This article is based on content writer Choncé Maddox's story about how to become more productive in the evening.

With everyone staying at home for a long time now and the kids around, I find myself working a lot in split shifts. This means that I may get up very early before everyone else and finish some work. After that, I help the kids with schoolwork and other activities around the house during the day and get an hour or two done in the evening.

I know this schedule is temporary, and I may not always work in the evenings. However, this is a reality that many parents and I struggle with today. How can you be more productive in the evening when you are used to doing the bulk of your work during the day?

Effective steps to boost your productivity in the evening

Whether you're looking to get an hour of productive energy in the evening or to get some chores done around the house, these steps will help you be more productive in the evening:

1. Plan your evening carefully

Make sure you plan and organize your evening just as you plan your morning or daytime work schedule. For example, I don't sit in front of my computer to start an evening work session without a plan. When I first look at my schedule, I identify one or two tasks I need to finish and make sure they are actual action steps.

It's important to have a clear plan and know the results you're looking for if you're trying to be more productive in the evenings. That way, you won't be wasting your time and energy trying to figure out what to do.

2. Clean up your workspace and clear your mind

At my house, we do something called a "quick clean," which means taking 10–15 minutes to pick things up from around the house. It's not meant to be a long, deep clean; It's a quick moment in the day to clean up.

I often feel more productive and organized in a clean space. My guess is that you do too. So choose a corner or two of your house—maybe where you'll do some work—and focus on tidying up and putting things back in their proper place.

If you have a dedicated workspace at home, you can do quick cleanups throughout the day to help you stay on track. Plus, you'll have a bit of cleaning and tidying up to do the next morning.

3. Manage distractions

If you're trying to be more productive in the evening, you may realize that you have different distractions than you did during the day. As someone who works from home, I know that distractions like getting a phone call to work or receiving a package at my door don't really happen in the evening, but other distractions like the TV and kids running around are bound to appear.

Bypass these distractions by minimizing them as much as possible. Put your phone in another room or put it on airplane mode; put your kids to sleep at 8 p.m. so you can work hard for the next 90 minutes; then get on with your evening routine. If you're trying to focus on a specific project, do it in a quiet place at home.

There is no point in trying to pretend that distractions don't exist and won't affect you. Be proactive by managing distractions so you don't ruin your evening.

4. Divide the task into time periods

Don't set unrealistic expectations for your evening shift or think you'll always be able to get everything done. Instead, divide tasks based on the specific time blocks you have available. For example, suppose your children go to bed at 8 p.m. and you go to bed at 10. If your evening routine will take about 30 minutes, that means you'll be able to work until 9:30 p.m., so you have an hour and a half.

Or maybe you plan to take advantage of the 5–6 evening work hours to work on something productive before dinner. Take the amount of time you have and think about what tasks you can accomplish in that amount of time. If you must do this, divide the task over several days, doing one step at a time.

When you know what your end result will be and break your work down into pieces, you will be productive and continue to make progress during each scheduled evening session.

5. Do not give up on sleep or your daily routine

Even if you have a lot, make sure you don't give up your precious hours of sleep or abandon your nighttime routine. You still need at least 8 hours of sleep, so this often means you can start your evening activities earlier.

You can also shorten your nighttime routine to fit your new evening schedule. Pick your top 3 to 4 tasks that you want to include in your nighttime routine and stick to them. Even if you give yourself 20 to 30 minutes to calm down before bed, it's definitely worth it.

In addition, you can always replace unproductive evening routines and activities to save more time. If you watch 3 hours of TV every night, reduce that activity to just 1 hour, and you will immediately free up 2 hours to do other, more important things.

However, you can still be more productive in the evening and get the right amount of sleep. Do you find yourself completing more important tasks in the evening, even if you love the morning? Which of these steps works best for you?