For years, my evenings looked exactly the same: dinner, Netflix, endless scrolling, and bed.

I’d tell myself I’d only watch one episode. Or that I’d check my phone for just five minutes. But once I sat down to “unwind,” the night would disappear in a blur. 

Before I knew it, it was 10:30 pm, and I hadn’t done anything that made me feel better.

Sound familiar?

It’s a trap so many of us fall into. We confuse numbing out with recharging. And while collapsing on the couch might feel good in the moment, it’s not truly restful or fulfilling.

If you want to transform your evenings from wasted time to sacred time, this article is for you. I’m sharing 4 things I stopped doing to reclaim my evenings and use the time to rest and connect rather than numb out.

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1. I Broke the “Dinner-TV-Bed” Trap

Let’s start with the trap many of us fall into – the Dinner-TV-Bed Trap.

This is when you follow the exact same routine every evening, and the time becomes a slow, autopilot countdown to sleep.

If you want to stop wasting your evenings, the first thing you need to do is break this trap.

How?

By creating a “third act”—something enjoyable you do AFTER dinner and BEFORE bed.

This could be anything that doesn’t involve a screen, such as:

• Reading a book
• Going for a walk
• Doing some yoga
• Meditating
• Taking a bath

The key is to choose something that feels nourishing for you.

Creating a healthy and restorative evening ritual like this will significantly impact your mood, energy, and overall well-being. Research shows that people with structured evening rituals feel happier and less stressed than those who default to passive entertainment.

2. I Stopped Treating Evenings as “Leftover Time”

If you’re a parent, your evenings are likely so busy that they don’t feel like they are really yours.

When my boys were growing up, I felt like I had no control over my evenings. By the time I got them settled, cleaned up, and handled a million little things, my brain was so fried, and my body was so exhausted that I had no energy left.

So, of course, for the hour I had left before bed, I would crash in front of the TV.

Even if you’re not a parent, if you’re stuck in the Dinner-TV-Bed Trap, you likely lack control over your evenings. You might want to do something different with your time, but you don’t know how to.

To reclaim control over my evenings, I decided to assign value to my nights, treating them as an important part of the day.

I scheduled one personal moment every night where I would do something just for me.

Your personal moment doesn’t have to be anything big or time-consuming. It could be as simple as sitting in silence with a cup of tea for 10 minutes. The only rule is that your personal moment should restore your energy rather than drain it.

Adding just one small personal ritual to your evenings will significantly boost your well-being and reduce stress.

3. The “One-Way Door” Rule

We’ve all done it—told ourselves we’d check our phone for a second, and suddenly it’s an hour later, we’re deep in someone’s Instagram vacation album, and we have no idea how we got there.

That’s the thing about certain activities—like scrolling social media or binge-watching Netflix. They’re what I call “one-way doors.” Once you step through, it’s hard to come back. 

You go in with the intention of spending five minutes, but these platforms are designed to keep you hooked. Before you know it, your whole evening has slipped away.

If you’re someone who finds it easy to get pulled in (trust me, I was too), one of the best things you can do is set entry rules—boundaries that stop you from stepping through that door in the first place.

These can be simple, like:

• No social media after 7pm
• No Netflix until all the chores are done
• No phone in bed

This isn’t about being strict or boring. It’s about protecting your time before it disappears.

Try setting just one entry rule this week and notice how much more space you create for things that actually restore you.

4. I Started “Micro-Dosing” Movement

For the longest time, I believed I was too tired to do anything in the evenings. But the truth is, I wasn’t tired. I was just sluggish.

So, I started experimenting with small, bite-sized bursts of movement (“micro-dosing movement”) to break up stagnation and shift my energy.

Research supports this strategy—Just five minutes of light movement is enough to boost circulation, release feel-good endorphins, and reduce stress hormones. 

Your micro-movements don’t need to be fancy, intense, or time-consuming. They can be as simple as:

• Doing ten squats while waiting for the kettle to boil.
• Stretching your back and shoulders during TV ads. 
• Taking a quick 5-minute walk around the block after dinner. 

Ready To Reclaim Your Evenings?

If you’re serious about transforming your evenings and want to feel genuinely rested, not just distracted, there’s one more game-changing strategy I didn’t include here.

In this week’s video episode, I break it down step-by-step and show you how to use it to reset your brain, sleep better, and wake up more energized.

Here’s where you can watch:

[insert widescreen image and use hyperlink above]

Here’s where to watch:

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Then, I’d love for you to try just one of these strategies TONIGHT and see what happens. Drop a comment below and let me know which one you will try!

Resources:

• Download my FREE Self-Care Checklist: https://drkimfoster.com/selfcarechecklist
• My Goal-Setting Planner – The WellPlanned Method™
• My Free Class for Health Coaches: How To Build A 6-Figure Health Coaching Business Using One Signature Program
• Dr. Kim on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkimfoster/

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