Learn how to develop a mid-day routine with your goals and free time in mind.
Just search any influencer’s Instagram Reels or TikTok videos, and you’ll likely find some sort of guide to their morning routine. In fact, videos tagged with “morning routine” have more than 9.8 billion views combined on TikTok, with most users insisting that these regimens help set the tone for their day.
However, as popular as the morning routine aesthetic is — with its frothy green matcha lattes and cozy meditation routines — Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D., a behavioral therapist and the director of Soho CBT + Mindfulness Center, says that afternoon routines could be just as beneficial to the body and mind — if not more.
“In the afternoon, you’ve dealt with the first half of your day, and in some cases, it may have gone badly or unplanned,” he says. “So if you don’t have something that will help you take back control of your day at that midway point, it’s likely you will continue a cycle that’s detrimental to you.” This is where an afternoon routine comes in.
Plus, research from Harvard Business Review states that most people experience a dip in energy around 3 p.m., which makes it the perfect time to take a pause during your workday. Here, discover the importance of an afternoon routine and learn how to create the perfect one for you.
Why Humans Thrive on Routine
“People rely on routines for three major reasons,” explains Kaplan. “First, from a psychological perspective, they provide a sense of control and predictability. Having an expectation of what's going to happen is important for us to feel safe.” In fact, researchers at Tel Aviv University have found that when you take part in a routine, your nervous systems calm down, as your parasympathetic nervous system (which controls the body’s relaxation response) gets activated by familiarity. “It’s a way for our bodies to cope with stress from unexpected circumstances that may come into our lives the rest of the day or have already come into our lives earlier on,” Kaplan adds.
Another reason why routines are helpful is because they provide structure when there’s a long-term goal you’re trying to achieve. “Think about it: If your goal is to write a book, you likely won’t be able to write it all in one sitting,” says Kaplan. “But if you make it a routine to write a few pages a day, then you’ll be able to provide yourself an opportunity to reach goals that require long-term sustained effort by building a habit.”
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Per a recent study in the journal Current Biology, engaging in habitual behavior puts your brain on autopilot, thus leaving you with neurotransmitters (your body’s chemical messengers, which help control your thoughts, memory, and feelings, among other functions) that are free to make bigger decisions. Essentially, by forming certain habits, you become effortlessly good at those tasks through repetition. Then, your brain is able to tackle other issues with the free time at hand. This explains, for instance, why your best ideas come when you’re doing something menial, such as taking a shower or walking the trash can out to the curb; your subconscious mind is busy working on problem-solving.
Finally, routines are beneficial because they provide the time needed to do something meaningful with your life. “I always say that we don’t ever really have the time to do something that’s significant for ourselves,” says Kaplan. “Instead, we make time, and blocking out that hour a day to do a thing that provides purpose helps us live a meaningful life.” Research from Frontiers in Psychology also affirms this; individuals who find time to craft meaning in their lives report feeling happier and more at peace than those who don’t.
Afternoon Routines vs. Morning Routines
“Most people partake in a morning routine because they’ve been told that doing so will help set the tone for their day,” says Kaplan. “And while research supports this, we fail to acknowledge that things can still go off-track in the middle of the day. When this happens, you have two choices: You can either allow yourself to get carried away by those negative thoughts, or you can do something that will change the course of your day.”
Therefore, according to Kaplan, your afternoon routine will provide a mood boost that’ll help you feel more in control over the rest of your day — even if the beginning hasn’t gone as planned.
That said, the activities you mix into your afternoon routine can be exactly the same as those you include in your morning routine, says Kaplan. “It’s not so much the activity that changes, but the function behind that activity is different,” he adds. “The meaning of it is significant.” For instance, if you simply aren’t a person who can jump out of bed and attend a Tabata class first thing in the morning, do it as part of your afternoon routine instead. While a morning workout can feel like an energizing pre-work activity, an afternoon workout can be looked at as ‘alone time’ or as a refreshing pause between the first half of your workday and the second.
No matter which activity you choose to include in your mid-day routine, the mental and emotional benefits will stay relatively the same, says Kaplan. “All you’re really trying to do with an afternoon routine is take a pause to calm your nervous system down after you’ve activated it earlier on.” This prevents you from going on autopilot mode, and you can approach the rest of your tasks in a calm, collected mood.
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How to Craft Your Own Afternoon Routine
The exponential benefits of an afternoon routine make it a no-brainer to incorporate into your life, but you might be curious about how you can start doing so. “You need to start looking at your goals when you’re getting ready to plan your afternoon routine,” says Kaplan. “If your goal is to relax, maybe have a hot tea and take a few deep breaths. If it’s to boost energy, take a power nap. If it’s to help your physical health, exercise or pop some supplements.”
Ideally, your afternoon practices should take between 30 minutes to an hour. Even if you can’t meditate for a whole 20 minutes yet, you can still do it for a few minutes and then do something else in a similar vein for the remainder of the time, like listening to a podcast or making some tea.
The two most important factors are how much time you dedicate to your routine and what you want your goals to be. But Kaplan stresses that you don’t have to be entirely rigid about your routine, either. “If you have a meeting run over and only have 45 minutes to work out instead of an hour, do the 45,” he says. “Or, if after a certain point, your goals change from, say, mindfulness to creativity, you could change your meditation practice to journaling.”
People are fluid, says Kaplan, so your routine should be, too: “The most important thing is taking that time to pause in the middle of the day and do something that’s meaningful to you, whatever it may be,” he adds.
Bottom Line: Start Small
An afternoon routine doesn’t need to be a big, radical affair, stresses Kaplan. “You can start as small as you need to,” he explains. “And in fact, it might be more beneficial to you to start in small increments if it’s something you’ve never done before.”
For example, if you want to start meditating, begin with five minutes instead of trying to commit to an hour. “By breaking down an ambitious job into smaller, more achievable ones that you build over long periods of time, micro habits help you complete big goals,” states research from Harvard Business Review.
So, just carve out some time, take part in an activity that aligns with your goals, and start as small as you need to. Soon enough, you’ll start experiencing the benefits.