Morning routines get all the attention and respect.

While evening routines are ignored and overlooked.

Hot take: How we finish our days is even more important than how we start them.

Today, I’ll show you a powerful evening routine to live life on easy mode.

SUPERHUMAN SCORING

In every edition of System Sunday, I assess the featured system across three superhuman dimensions: impact, setup, and maintenance.

Unlike your typical review, I focus on factors that influence personal growth. Get to know the evaluation system.

Impact (9.5/10)

The highest form of self-care is doing things today that will make your life easier tomorrow.

A powerful evening routine will help you do just that.

With positive evening habits, you will:

1. Create a virtuous cycle: You can take a tiny action before bed (like laying out your workout clothes) that will make your morning routine easier (like exercising).

2. Internalize excellence: In the gym, the last reps matter. How you finish your day is no different. End your day on a high note, and it will define your character.

My morning and evening routines are my “daily bookends,” giving natural structure to the rest of the day.

9 life-changing evening habits, here we go…

Setup (8.5/10)

1. Write down tomorrow's 3:3:3 plan (Source: Oliver Burkeman)

• 3 hours on your most important project
• 3 shorter tasks
• 3 maintenance activities

Defining a “productive day” is crucial. Otherwise, you'll never feel like you’re doing enough (even with excellent output).

Read my full take on 3:3:3.

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2. End the workday with a shutdown ritual

Create a short shutdown ritual (hat-tip to Cal Newport). Close your laptop, plug in the charger, and spend 2 minutes tidying your desk. Then say, “shutdown.”

Separating your work and life is key.

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3. Journal 1 beautiful life moment

Delicious tacos, presentation you crushed, a moment of inner peace. Write it down.

Gratitude programs a mindset of abundance.

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4. Lay out clothes

Get exercise clothes ready for tomorrow. Upon waking up, consider jumping rope for 2 mins. It will activate your mind and body.

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5. Pack healthy snacks

People are the worst version of themselves when they're hungry. So fix that; pack healthy snacks for tomorrow.

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6. Charge your phone outside of reach

The morning alarm will spring you out of bed. And the day is on. You’ll be less likely to hit the snooze button (and mindlessly scroll your phone in bed). Remember: Happiness is abundant by design, scarce by luck.

Dive deeper with the Phone Charger Challenge.

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7. Do the dishes

Dirty dishes spill over into other areas of your life and mindset. Bill Gates says dishes are core to his evening routine. It will calm your mind, too.

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8. Practice 4-7-8 breathing

Recently, I wrote a popular thread on the 4-7-8 Method. The breathing technique will help you alleviate stress and fall asleep fast. (Going to bed at the same time every night also helps.)

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9. Give your mind an overnight task (Source: Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn)

Upon closing your eyes, give your mind a job. “How might I make an extra $1k each month?”

Don't try to solve it then; just release it to your subconscious (which will work on it overnight).

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Maintenance (7.5/10)

Here’s the evening habit menu:

• Write tomorrow's 3:3:3 plan
• End workday w/ shutdown ritual
• Journal 1 beautiful life moment
• Lay out clothes for tomorrow
• Pack healthy snacks
• Do the dishes
• Charge your phone outside of reach
• Practice 4-7-8 breathing
• Give your mind an overnight task

The all-or-nothing mentality often leads to nothing at all.

Today, start small. Pick 2-3 tiny habits from the list. Practice them until they feel automatic. Then stack more.

BRINGING IT HOME

All the habits take less than 5 mins, but each will have an outsized impact.

Your tiny habits will compound into big results. 📈

All systems go,