Eat breakfast for dinner
If you’re often tempted to reach for a ready-made meal at the end of a busy day, it might be a good idea to add some super easy home-cooked dinners to your arsenal. Nutritionist Sophie Trotman‘s secret weapon is breakfast for dinner – especially if it’s high in protein, as the macronutrient is satiating and helps keep blood sugar balanced. “My ‘fast food’ is scrambled eggs on toasted rye bread,” she says, “with sauteed spinach on the side, if I’m feeling extravagant.” She also suggests mixing together eggs, banana, ground flaxseed, ground almonds and protein powder to make pancakes. “Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and fruit.”
Play a five minute ‘neat game’
Before you sit down to relax for the evening, set a timer and challenge yourself to sort out a small area: your desk, the kitchen counter, or a pile of laundry. “With the clock ticking, you get super-focused,” says professional organizer Rachel Burditt, AKA the Declutter Darling. “You will see an immediate payoff. A tidy space is instant calm for your brain.” If you have children, challenge them to tackle their own area at the same time – and even if it’s just a few toys, celebrate their small victories.
“Teaching good habits such as quick tidy-ups before bed is important for children; it means they wake up with a new beginning,” says professional organizer Vicky Silverthorn.
Play a video game with your teen
Yes, even if they haven’t done their homework. “Teens come alive in the evenings, so schedule time to play a video game or do something fun together to help build a long-lasting connection,” says Dr. Naomi Fisherclinical psychologist and author of When the naughty step makes things worse. “We do it right after we eat: it’s connection time, which isn’t just about the next task.”
Finish dinner with apple cider vinegar
“A lot of people experience cravings for sweets in the evening,” says Dr. Benjamin Bikmanmetabolic scientist. “But when blood sugar levels get high, they become activates the sympathetic nervous system – ‘fight or flight’ response – which we don’t want when we go to sleep.” His tip? Avoid eating anything sweet within three hours of bedtime. To help resolve those cravings, try eating something tart. “I mix a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar into a glass of sparkling water,” says Bikman.
Ben Mudge, online trainer and author of Fitness without limits, recommend a small portion of fruit. “The fiber helps with satiety and satiety,” he says. Or you can sip a cup of decaffeinated herbal tea – Trotman enjoys sugar-free peppermint and licorice: “It’s quite sweet, even though it has no sugar in it, and has helped customers curb their sweet tooth.”
Help your kids do their nighttime routine solo
“Pictograms create easy-to-understand steps for routines, giving toddlers and preschoolers a visual reminder of what’s coming next,” says Iben Sandahlco-author of The Danish way of parenting. “They help reduce verbal instructions, which can sometimes overwhelm children.” Set up one row on the bedroom wall for morning routines – getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth – and another for bedtime, showing teeth, bath, story and bed. “As they master the sequence, they’ll feel more independent,” she says, and suggests setting up an egg counter to help them know how long to brush their teeth.
Implement the ‘one-touch’ rule’
To keep clutter from piling up when you’re busy, implement what Burditt calls the “one-touch rule”: instead of leaving that plate in the sink after dinner, wash it right away. “It’s easier to deal with things in the moment rather than face a big mess later,” she says. “The key is no procrastination,” says Jillian Tureckirelationship coach and author of It Starts With You. “Put your clothes away before bed; clean while you cook.”
Accept that you don’t have to win every battle
“If my kids are eager to get into their pajamas, I’m not going to fight them,” says Fisher, who says it’s okay for kids to go to sleep in their day clothes or skip bath time every now and then. “The priority is that they get a good night’s sleep.” Don’t get too attached to being a “good parent”: the idea that you have to do a bath, change and story every night, even if it’s not what your child wants. “Giving up on an idea now doesn’t mean you’re giving up on it forever,” says Fisher.
Reflect on the day
Take a moment just before bed to ask your child to reflect on what they are proud of and what they enjoyed that day: it could be as small as watching the leaves change colour, helping make dinner or time with a friend on the walk back from school. “This positive reflection helps build optimism, self-confidence, and agency skills, while promoting trust and emotional security,” says Sandahl.
Reflecting on the day is also helpful for adults. Sahil Bloomentrepreneur and author of The 5 types of wealthdeveloped a practice known as the 1-1-1 method: “Every night write down one victory of the day, one point of tension, anxiety or stress, and one point of gratitude.” It’s an easy way to create a habit of journaling regularly – and reap advantages such as reduced stress and improved decision-making abilities.
Use the 10-minute method to tackle tomorrow’s tasks
Spend five minutes writing down everything you have to do the next morning; then highlight the top three must-dos. “To focus on the priorities, ask: is it urgent for myself or someone else?” says Scott Walker, negotiation expert and author of Order from Chaos. If the answer is yourself, spend the next 10 minutes working on your least tempting task to reduce the friction of starting the morning after.
“When I wrote my book, I took time after my son’s bedtime to write the beginning of the first paragraph or jot down a few bullet points, which created that initial momentum,” says Bloom. “It allows me to close more effectively, as I know my next morning is already in a good place.”
Schedule five minutes for this somatic exercise
Take each hand to your opposite shoulder, cross your arms, then swing gently. Slowly tap each shoulder, take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. “It’s like a gentle hug, which helps stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system so you can enter a rest-and-digest state, the opposite of fight-or-flight,” says Turecki. Feeling overstimulated before bed will help you slow down.
Try these light stretches
If you sit at a desk all day, help combat stiffness by doing some light stretches before getting into bed. “Stretching helps relax tight muscles, improves circulation and promotes better sleep by calming your nervous system,” says Mudge. He recommends the “empty butterfly”: lie on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, then drop your knees to the sides and bring the soles of your feet together. Hold for one to three minutes to open the hips and help relieve lower back pain.
“The act of slowly unwinding your body feels like a physical sigh of relief,” he says. To stimulate your lymphatic system and promote proper circulation, Turecki says, find a wall, lie on the floor and raise your legs.
Take a hot shower – then lather yourself in magnesium body butter
“Decreased body temperature is a signal to the brain that it is time to calm down,” says neuroscientist Nicole Vignola. “You can hack it by taking a hot shower right before you go to bed.” Once you get out, lather yourself in magnesium body butter: studies have shown how the supplement can help regulate melatonin and combat poor sleep.
“Rub it on your limbs to relax your muscles and nervous system,” says Trotman. If you have time and a bath, run a warm bath with Epsom bath salts, made from magnesium sulfate, to soothe tired muscles. Another option is to add a sachet of magnesium glycinate to a non-caffeinated drink just before bed.
“Magnesium glycinate helps create the inhibitory neurotransmitter Gaba, which helps slow down brain activity at night,” says Vignola.
“I mix magnesium glycinate with sugar-free cocoa and add some protein powder,” says Bikman.
Cleanse your face twice
Eilidh Smith, founder of clinic Skin workrecommends sticking to three holy grails: a good quality cleanser, a chemical exfoliant or retinoid to stimulate cell turnover and tackle blemishes, and a moisturizer to hydrate. The most important? Double cleaning. The first will remove any dirt, pollution and makeup and the second will work deeper to clean the skin.
“You can wash your face quickly, but taking a little longer will make a big difference if your skin is congested, dull, or tired,” says Smith. “Work the product into all areas, including hairline and neck, and use a mitt to remove. It’s good to use the same cleanser for both cleansers.”
Have an evening scent ritual
Add a calming essential oil to your nighttime routine by gently spritzing it on your pillow just before you crawl into bed. “This little sensory ritual signals your body to shift into rest mode and enhances the relaxation process,” says Mudge.
Turecki recommends lavender: “It’s excellent for stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system.”
Models: Yvonne Achato and Valentine Tooke. Manicurist: Sarah Cherry. Food Stylist: Sarah Cherry. Lighting Technology: Declan Slattery. Bedding: Piglet in the bed
