6 things I did to stop wasting my evenings after work

Over the past 12 months, I've been building a business alongside work, uni and all the other parts of my life.

And during the process, I’ve struggled through the time slipping away, wondering where my nights have gone, and feeling like I’m sacrificing my goals and living for work.

I’ve learnt a lot, so in this video I want to give you the 6 strategies that I've used to stop wasting my evenings and start using them to pursue my goals.

Whether you want to build a business, work out consistently, pursue a new hobby, or simply use your time more intentionally, I hope this helps! 🤍

To make your life easier:
00:00 Introduction
00:58 Strategy 1
05:47 Strategy 2
08:12 Strategy 3
10:45 Strategy 4
16:06 Strategy 5
18:47 Strategy 6
20:12 Action Steps

Thank you for being here, if there are any videos you would love to see, let me know in the comments!

OTHER VIDEOS MENTIONED:
How to wake up early WITHOUT being tired (fix your body clock)

How to organise your time (time management for real life)

Editing Software: Capcut

[TaylaBurrell]

I want to make a comment about the 8-8-8 time splits that I reference… (Thank you so much for all the support and feedback so far on this video 🫶🏼)

I absolutely don’t believe we have 8 hours of ‘leisure’ a day. This is simply what we’ve been told traditionally. So many of us feel guilty for not ‘doing enough’ with this 8 hours, but in reality, our maintenance bucket consumes most of it.

That’s what this entire video is about. Recognising that the ‘8 hours of leisure time’ really isn’t 8 hours and can so easily be consumed, and sharing some strategies that have helped me to make the most of the 2-4 hours we actually have.

Whether you want to use these strategies and these hours to work, workout, socialise or rest (or all of the above) is completely up to you. Remember, productivity isn’t about doing more work. It’s about spending your time how you genuinely want to be spending it, and living a life that feels good to you 🤍

[alejandrad]

"Treat your evening as a new day." Wow, this is somethnig I never thought about. I am going to implement it.🙂

[calonstanni]

10 hours getting ready for, being at, and driving to and home from work. 9 hours of sleep since I take an hour to get to sleep. 5 hours free to take care of household and upkeep, cook/ eat, exercise, finances, do something I want to do. It's a sucky life

[heyitsgabs]

mealprep strategy: dont prep the entire meal cause that gets boring, but prep the individual bits of the meal so its like mix and match style

[leggermentesara]

The problem is that they're not really 8 8 8, cause work usually takes about 3 hours more for commuting and lunch break. That leaves 5 hours including house and self maintenance, soo... I think work should take 6 hours a day. I know, a dream 😂 I'm only at the beginning of the video, I'll make other considerations when I finish it 😊

I love strategy #3! It really can make a big difference. Also #4 is something that I try to do, using some "starting" rituals. And I apply the #2 even at home but not stopping to relax...as soon as I'm at home I tidy up a bit (cause cats... 😂), refresh myself and start. If I stop it's the end.
I think that working on goals in the morning is better too, in theory... in my case for example it's difficult to shift hours earlier, I already struggle to sleep enough because my partner has different working hours so we have dinner late (9pm) and this influences the rest. And I also leave early for work because I have a 1.15 hour commute. I'm trying to find 30 minutes, not easy 😅

For the meal prep I find that the best solution for me is to do single ingredients meal prep and not all together. The weekend when you don't have a lot of time during the week gets already filled up with other stuff, and meal prep takes a lot of time that I don't to waste from my weekend. So I do a compromise basically

Planning in advance is big too! I have this rule: if I don't have something planned/in mind I have some go to alternatives to choose from 💪

Anyway loved this video, thanks!❤❤

[Lila-xhbx]

I enjoyed this video. Would like to add some tips:
- outsource disliked maintenance tasks if you can afford it,
- instead of mealprepping, buy easy to cook and combine foods once a week. For example, couscous, tofu, frozen pre-cut vegetables, eggs, etc
- go to work by bike instead of taking the car, if possible. By that, you already got a workout without spending more time.
- make sure to rest when needed. People who work a lot should focus on quality resting.
- find something or people you can have a good laugh with.

[laurenlewis]

I enjoyed the video but quit quitting isn’t just about “doing the bare minimum” it’s about not working for free. Doing extra work outside of your job description is doing additional labor w/ no compensation. In the US, you don’t always work the same number of hours. If you’re salaried then you can work any amount of hours w/ no additional pay which has been an expectation for decades. Workers are deciding to only do what they have agreed to as a way of getting the best yield on their salaries. Last but not least, the number one form of theft is employer wage theft, but yet they’re shaming us for quiet quitting.

[lachesislooms]

I love that you recognize that the same tasks can fall into different buckets for people!

[marissacartwright]

I 100% have to do avoid going right home after work if I want to make it to the gym or to a run. I figured that out in the last few months. It is key

[tomiriszhumanazarova]

I feel the community from this video. The feeling that I’m not alone working on my journey, it gives me a support to manage my time and energy to support myself :)

[Mimi-xzvl]

You nearly lost me right at the beginning. 8-8-8 is not realistic for the majority of people who do not work from home all day. I work 8, 5 hours a day (30 minutes lunch break) and it takes about 35 minutes to get there and get back home. Then there are at least 20 minutes (if not more) "prep time" in the morning. Putting on your clothes, going to the bathroom, doing your hair, eating a little something etc. So most people do have around 10 hours a day for "work". I just wanted to mention that because I like your videos and this one is also great, but I nearly clicked away in the first few seconds because I immediately thought "Someone is not considering reality so how could I get true value from this vid?"

[aliearle]

I also think that we should find as much pleasure in doing what we have to do as possible so that there is less focus on the little amount of ‘free time’ we have left.

How can you enjoy your commute more? Listening to things that inspire or listen to.

How can you enjoy your shower or bath more?

What can bring you more joy at work?

Being realistic to how much time we actually have left means that we don’t feel frustrated at the end of everyday that we haven’t done anything.

Also ‘rest’ is important. This looks different to different people. It could be gaming, it could be watching tv, reading, a nap. Being ‘go, go, go’ can lead to burnout. Get to know your body and what you need!

[alinabelousova]

This video is a gem. I can already see your channel propelling just because of it. This is exactly what I needed.

Things I'm already implementing:
1. Make your life easy: washing dishes after each meal and not allowing them to pile up - saves a lot of time in the long run; doing home chores or quick tidy between working hours; quick 30 min or less meals.

2. This one I don't do, but I don't find it hard to work on my projects at home.

3. Care about your work: I do! And I really liked your creative approach to it. It's something I'd also come up with in challenging environments - looking for positive and interesting things to do no matter where you find yourself. Builds resilience for sure! I was working with a very difficult person and wanted to do things as slow as possible, because I didn't want to help her. Then she talked to me and said she noticed that, which made me feel ashamed. She implied that I might loose my job. Because I am very self-conscious and an overachiever, I decided to change things around and be the most productive and efficient person there, despite the treatment I received. It was like a challenge I took on and it worked out only for my good. I felt happier for it and people noticed my efforts.

4. Night = new opportunity: That's basically the only time I have now - is to do my own thing in the evenings.

5. Work in the morning: I like to work for 1 hour on my translating project before work begins from 8-9am, as it's the time I feel fresher and more focused to do cognitively demanding tasks. I know someone who would meet with their friends at 7am for a catch up at a coffee shop, because that was the only time everyone could make it. I'd never even think to meet at that time! It's so out of the box.

6. Look after yourself: if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have the energy to work 3 jobs and have 3 personal projects + home stuff to do.

Immediate subscriber :)

[shamzscrapz]

This was a really great video. I have tried for years to time block meal plan and do all the things but I keep letting myself down for many reasons. You have given me some amazing strategies to really dig deep into and work on. I really LOVE the evenings as another day! How true…..I’m already thinking of things I can use this extra time for. I’m not an early morning person but I’m going to watch that video. My hubby is retiring from his job after 36 years to come and run our orchard full time with me, I can see so many possibilities to incorporate some of these great ideas. Thankyou, I’m so glad I found you!

[liliya_aseeva]

Cooking it's a funny thing because sometimes I enjoy putting soul into cooking for myself (for example on weekends) but the quote-unquote 'meals' which I do for evenings in weekdays are certainly only an energy supply.
About different days - I nap during lunchtime and it helps immensely, somewhat reloads the brain.

[KimKey]

gonna have to disagree with "care about your work." i didn't start feeling better until i *stopped* caring. as in, i do what i need to do, i'm not going to cause problems for others at work by not getting mine done. but i'm just here for a paycheck. i don't care about it beyond that, which freed up a ton of energy for me to care about my personal work and other things that are more important.

[ElanaSavini]

My evenings consist of cooking a meal for 4 people, looking after 2 pets, taking the kids to sport, making their lunchboxes for the next day, putting washing away, doing the dishes, paying bills or other life admin, then having a short rest before going to bed. I usually have 1-1.5hrs free each day and i want to have downtime in those (usually watching YouTube videos lol)

[cirkla]

I am trying to grow a business on the side. I am a school librarian, so I get summers off (well, June & July) so this video really appealed to me because I always struggle with making any progress in the evenings. I am impressed with how you were able to build a business on the side after work. I'm also inspired to do the same! Thanks for posting this. I've subscribed and will follow along.

[estheronajourneytocontentm]

Thanks Tayla for the comprehensive strategies to help make our lives the ones we want to live rather than just surviving. I’ll be watching this again as it was a lot to take on. Particularly loved the idea of changing my mindset about evenings after work - how they can be used other than just what I have to do like meals & then just down time. And that you gave realistic strategies of how to be energised to be able to achieve that - and that I need to start by taking small steps to then become a habit/routine….Thanks again

[glacyneyla-lifestyle]

The big problem: 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work, 5 hours (sometimes more) hours of traveling with train and bus, 3 h of getting ready for work / bed and eating someting. Soooo I have NO TIME for anything! 😅 And no, I can't afford a appartment in the city I work. And yes, sundays are full day homework and mail days...sometimes with meal prepping 😅