i stopped wasting my evenings after work for a week | living for the weekdays ep.4

Summary

Sarah spent a week changing her after-work routine, which usually defaulted to phone scrolling, food, TV, and bed. Her aim wasn’t to make every evening productive, but to use her free time more intentionally and leave less to cram into the weekend.

Her three rules

• No TV or phone scrolling during the week to interrupt the habit of using screens as the automatic after-work activity.
• At least 15 minutes of household or life-admin tasks, such as cleaning, laundry, bills, or planning.
• Journal before bed to reflect on the day and clear her thoughts.

She divided possible evening activities into rest and recovery, social connection, household tasks, and deeper creative work. She emphasized that rest counts as worthwhile time, too.

Highlights from the week

• Monday: Sarah and Carrick cooked dinner, ate at the table, and took a roughly 30-minute walk to restart their exercise habit. She replied to overdue messages, cleaned the kitchen sink, handled a few errands, and journaled. She found that journaling in the evening helped her reflect and feel more balanced.
• Tuesday: They went grocery shopping at Costco and bought prepared foods because the hot, smoky weather made cooking less appealing. After dinner, they replaced light bulbs and planned upcoming trips. Using credit-card points, they booked flights for two trips—reportedly paying about $300 total for flights to Bali and using points for San Diego as well. Trip planning felt enjoyable once they made time for it.
• Wednesday: Despite feeling exhausted, Sarah had dinner, took a full shower, and used voice dictation to capture ideas for a YouTube video. She folded laundry and read fiction before bed. She noticed that doing small chores regularly made them feel more manageable, and that less screen consumption left her with more time and mental space for creative work.
• Thursday: A new cabinet helped improve storage and reduce clutter at home. Sarah and Carrick shared dinner and played conversation games, which reminded her that quality time together didn’t have to involve a planned activity. They also booked a San Diego hotel using points.
• Friday: After a DEXA scan and a trip to the dump to clear clutter, Sarah felt the house was in better shape and that fewer chores were hanging over the weekend. They intentionally watched a movie and enjoyed takeout, finding TV more satisfying when it was a deliberate choice rather than the default.

Takeaways

• Small, consistent evening tasks helped keep the home tidier and reduced the usual pressure before the weekend.
• Screen-free evenings didn’t have to be packed with work: cooking, walking, reading, talking, and resting all felt meaningful.
• Sarah realized she sometimes chose work or chores when given free time, but also became more creative when she wasn’t continually consuming content.
• She planned to continue journaling and the other habits because the added structure made it easier to enjoy both weeknights and weekends.

Notable locations, products, and people

• Locations: Costco; San Diego; Bali
• Products and services: Credit-card travel points; Costco prepared foods and pasta; a mango-flavored frozen dessert; Azelle’s chicken strips; a DEXA scan
• People and references: Sarah Jolie, Carrick, their dog Milo, and author Stephen King