It’s Thursday afternoon and my mind starts to drift to my after-work plans. Nip to the supermarket, walk the dog, cook tea, work on a new listing for the Etsy shop and clean the kitchen. Then I get home, sit on the sofa and don’t move an inch all night. Sound familiar?
By the end of the night I felt like I had completed wasted my evening and had zero motivation. I was sick of it. If you’re anything like me then here my 5 tips to avoid gluing that ass to the sofa when you finish work.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.
DO NOT SIT DOWN
First things first, as tempting as it is to sit down for five minutes, we both know it’s going to be end up being longer than that. If you want to remain productive then it’s best to get started on your to-do list straight away. I usually start my prepping dinner and walking the dog and then clean the kitchen after dinner. Only then do I allow myself to sit down and relax.
PLAN YOUR EVENING IN YOUR PLANNER
I love checking off my to-do list in my planner. It makes me feel like I’ve used my day productively. That’s why I like to plan my evenings in my planner so that I know the night before what I need to do as soon as I arrive home from work. The key is not overload your schedule. If you’re giving yourself too many errands in complete in one night then you’re only going to feel overwhelmed and it’ll result in you giving up. Aim to tick off three tasks on your list. Bonus point to you if you manage to complete any more than that.
If you want a FREE habit tracker to track your evening routines then grab this freebie here.
Related: Master the Perfect Morning and Evening Routine to be Super Productive
EXERCISE AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME
Better yet, hit the gym on your journey home from work. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I had the intention of going to the gym after dinner but pure laziness stopped me. If I take my gym kit to work with me then I am much more likely to actually exercise. Plus it gives me a better excuse to actually flop out on the sofa if I’m a dead weight from the gym 🙂
Related: How To Use Your Planner for Fitness & Health
PLAN YOUR MEALS IN ADVANCE
Planning meals in advance is a lifesaver. Have you looked in the fridge to find something to cook to realize that you actually have nothing. Takeaway is calling!
Think ahead and plan your meals on a weekly basis. I like to do mine on Sundays or Mondays. By planning in advance I’m able to buy exactly what I need with no mid-week supermarket runs – perfect if you’re on a budget. If you’re super organised then you could even cook your meals in batches and then freeze to reheat during the week. I’m not quite there yet!
Related: Plan Your Weekly Meals – Stress Free
READ A PRODUCTIVITY BOOK
Some days it’s inevitable that we’re going to hit the sofa as soon as we take our sofas off. We’re only human. If that’s the case then why not kill the guilt by reading a productivity/personal development book? A personal favorite of mine is The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. It explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits. It really opened my eyes to daily habits and how we replace bad habits with good and adapt them to our daily life.
Feeling so unproductive that you don’t even want to read? It’s available as an audio book so just close your eyes and relax 😉
20 Affordable Stocking Fillers for the Planner Addict in your Life
10 Printables To Make You Super Organised
Make The Most Of Your Sundays For A Productive Week
How I Find Time to Study, Work Full-Time and Run a Small Business
Love this post! It’s so true, I have the exact same issue. I’m at work dreaming of all the productive house and blog tasks I’ll do when I get home, and then I end up on my couch watching Netflix all night haha.
I seem to have a different problem. My kids have flown the nest, I have a small simple house, no pets so actually have too much time in the evenings and yet I feel dreadful when I spend an evening on the sofa. I lack the motivation but I do spend a lot of time reading and crafting.
Awesome post!! Sharing !
This post resonates with a lot of people, including myself. We come home from work and we just don’t have the drive to do much… there’s a few reasons for this:
1. Our willpower is drained throughout the day. Think of it like your phone battery.
2. It is during this time where we are least productive in our natural cycles.
It might be wise to try not fighting it.
Instead of trying to do everything after work all the time, go to bed early and wake up early to knock out your work. 🙂 just a few tips I’ve picked up from my success mentor.