SETTING YOUR GOALS AND ROUTINES FOR YOUR BEST 2026 YET - PART 2: YOUR EVENING ROUTINE

Episode Summary

In this enlightening continuation of Amy Mewborn's two-part series on goal setting and routines, she dives deep into one of the most overlooked—yet critical—elements of personal transformation: your evening routine. While Part 1 focused on building a powerful morning routine with the SIMPLER method, Part 2 reveals why an intentional evening routine is just as important (and some might argue, even more crucial) for achieving your goals and maintaining your health.

Amy challenges the prevailing narrative that burnout comes from busy days. Instead, she shares a powerful truth: most burnout doesn't come from busy days—it comes from never fully ending the day and stopping to rest. Through compelling research, personal client stories, and actionable insights, this episode teaches listeners how to build a LIVING evening routine that signals your nervous system it's safe to rest, enabling real recovery and sustainable goal achievement.

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Key Topics Discussed

The Evening Routine Foundation: Why Rest Matters

• Burnout is not caused by busy days alone—it's caused by never fully ending your day
• Your nervous system must learn it's safe to rest; without this, you'll burn out regardless of how perfect your morning routine is
• Chronic stress and exhaustion create a cycle: poor sleep → exhausted wake-up → dysregulated nervous system → poor decisions

Introducing the LIVING Evening Routine Framework

The episode outlines the LIVING evening routine method, a powerful acronym that guides you through seven evidence-based practices:

L - Let Go

• Release the day physically and mentally through stretching, warm showers, or baths
• Write down lingering thoughts so they don't follow you into sleep
• Physically release tension from your body; mentally clear unfinished business

I - Integrate

• Reflection creates growth and helps your brain store memories
• Ask yourself: "What worked today? What did I learn about myself? What do I want to carry forward?"
• This practice makes you smarter and more aligned, not just more tired

V - Visualize

• Spend a few minutes picturing tomorrow going well
• Primes your brain for success and reduces anxiety
• Research from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation shows that brain patterns activated during visualization are remarkably similar to patterns activated during actual physical performance
• This isn't wishful thinking—it's neural pathway activation

I - Intimacy

• Connection matters for emotional and nervous system regulation
• Could be journaling, prayer, a meaningful conversation with someone you love, or quiet presence with a family member
• Ensures your heart feels open and settled instead of defended and closed before sleep

N - Nourish

• Signal your body that it's time to rest with intentional rituals
• Herbal tea, magnesium, luxurious skincare routines, soft lighting, calming music
• These signals teach your body to transition from "doing" to "being"
• Your nervous system needs these cues to shift gears

G - Gratitude

• End the day acknowledging what went right
• Research shows regular gratitude journaling can lead to a 25% increase in sleep quality by reducing worrying thoughts before bed
• Deliberately focus on what went well instead of replaying what went wrong
• Literally changes your brain chemistry before sleep
• Example: Be grateful for small wins like drinking enough water, having a good conversation, or moving your body

The Neuroscience Behind the Routine

• Harvard University research by Sara Lazar demonstrates that even 10-15 minutes of daily mindfulness or meditation can physically change your brain
• Meditation increases gray matter in the hippocampus (crucial for learning and memory)
• Meditation reduces gray matter in the amygdala (your brain's fear and stress center)
• Visualization effectiveness: Athletes' brain patterns during visualization match patterns during actual performance

Sleep Quality and Goal Achievement

• People who get 7-8 hours of quality sleep have better emotional regulation and more positive outlook
• Sleep deprivation impairs your prefrontal cortex, which governs willpower and decision-making
• Poor sleep isn't a character flaw—it's a neurological barrier to success

The Power of Support Systems

A critical component often overlooked in goal-setting:

• Only 9% of people report feeling successful achieving New Year's resolutions by year-end
• 92% of people fail due to lack of specific, actionable plans and systems
• 65% of people with accountability are likely to achieve goals; with specific check-ins and tracking, this jumps to 95%
• Support is not optional—it's foundational for success

Building Your Support Structure:

• Identify what would make goals easier: people, systems, structures, investments, simplification, environment
• Share your Big Three goals with an accountability partner
• Send weekly progress updates (research shows 33% higher success rate)
• Remove decision fatigue by planning and preparing (meal prepping, laying out clothes, having systems)

The Sarah Case Study: Transformation Through Systems

Amy shares a powerful real-world example of a high-achieving entrepreneur struggling to implement sustainable change:

Sarah's Challenge:

• Despite apparent success, she was exhausted and running on fumes
• Annually set ambitious goals (lose 30 lbs, hit revenue targets, build routines) but abandoned them by February
• Felt like a failure despite being intelligent and driven

The Solution:

• Started with clarity on how she wanted to feel, not what she wanted to achieve
• Her four feeling words became her north star: Calm, Energized, Capable, Present
• Built morning routine starting with just 5 minutes of silence (no phone, no input)
• Result within 2 weeks: Her entire day felt different because she started from regulation, not reactivity

Morning Routine Implementation (Progressive):

1. Silence (5 minutes)
2. Intention (asking what truly matters)
3. Movement (10-minute walk)
4. Nourishment (high-protein breakfast with ~30g protein)
5. Hydration (full glass of water first thing)
6. Learning (10 minutes of podcast during walk)
7. Expression (brain dump journaling)
8. Gratitude (5-minute daily gratitude practice)

Evening Routine Results:

• Better sleep within a week
• Mood shift within two weeks
• Decreased cravings
• Actually followed through on goals because she had energy and mental clarity
• Achieved health goal without intense workouts
• Hit business goal through clearer decisions from regulated nervous system

Key Research Points From Sarah's Story:

• Dominican University research: Writing down goals makes you 42% more likely to achieve them
• When you add accountability (sharing with friend + weekly updates): 33% higher success rate
• Mayo Clinic research: Morning exercise improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation throughout the day
• University of Missouri research: High-protein breakfast (~30g) improves appetite control and reduces unhealthy snacking
• Dehydration impact: Even 1-2% loss of body weight in water impairs cognitive functions like concentration, alertness, and short-term memory
• Gratitude study: 5-minute daily gratitude can increase long-term well-being by more than 10%
• Cortisol reduction: Gratitude practice reduces cortisol stress hormone by 23%
• Sleep quality improvement: Regular gratitude journaling increases sleep quality by 25%

Goal Setting Without Foundation = Failure

• 90% of people fail long-term goals due to lack of implementation plan with specific when/where/what support needed
• Choosing "Big Three" goals instead of fifteen creates focus
• Setting specific, challenging (but not impossible) goals leads to higher performance 90% of the time
• Women who kept gratitude journals had lower blood pressure, showing the mind-body connection is real

Implementation and Decision Fatigue

• Willpower is a limited resource (Roy Baumeister research)
• More decisions throughout the day = less willpower remaining
• Solution: Plan meals, prepare environment, remove choices where possible

The Critical Role of Accountability and Community

• Stanford University research: 90% of people with implementation plans (written when/where/support) are successful
• Compare to: 35% success without plans
• American Psychological Association study: 65% with accountability achieve goals; 95% with check-ins and tracking
• The strongest, most successful people ask for help and invest in support
• Support structures can include: coaches, accountability partners, mastermind groups, courses, delegating tasks, finding community

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Notable Guests/Moments

The Sarah Story - Amy's compelling client case study showcasing real transformation through the SIMPLER and LIVING methods serves as the emotional and educational anchor of the episode. Sarah's journey from feeling like a failure to hitting her goals within a year demonstrates that:

• It's not about willpower or discipline
• It's about systems and support
• Small changes (5 minutes of silence!) create profound ripple effects
• Sleep deprivation was sabotaging her success, not her character

Key Insight: Amy notes that Sarah's biggest breakthrough came not from pushing harder, but from finally addressing the second half of the equation—her evening routine—which was the missing piece allowing her body to actually recover.

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Key Statistics & Research Highlights

Finding	Source
Only 9% of people feel successful achieving New Year's resolutions	General goal-setting research
92% of people fail long-term goals due to lack of implementation	Goal-setting research
Writing goals down = 42% more likely to achieve them	Dominican University (Dr. Gail Matthews)
Adding accountability = 33% higher success	Dominican University study
With check-ins and tracking = 95% likely to achieve	American Psychological Association
10-15 min daily meditation increases gray matter in hippocampus	Harvard University (Sara Lazar)
Meditation reduces amygdala gray matter (fear/stress center)	Harvard neuroscience research
Visualization activates similar brain patterns as physical performance	Cleveland Clinic Foundation
High-protein breakfast (30g) improves appetite control	University of Missouri
Gratitude practice increases sleep quality by 25%	Sleep quality research
Gratitude reduces cortisol by 23%	Grateful Heart study
Gratitude increases well-being by 10%+	Gratitude research
65% with accountability achieve goals; 95% with tracking	Research data
90% of people with implementation plans succeed	Stanford University
Even 1-2% water loss impairs cognition	Dehydration research

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Powerful Quotes

"Most burnout doesn't come from busy days. Most burnout comes from never fully ending the day and stopping to REST!"

"Your evening routine teaches your body whether it's safe to rest. And if your body never feels safe to rest, if your nervous system is always activated and ready for the next crisis, you're going to burn out no matter how good your morning routine is."

"You're not being indulgent. You're not being selfish. You're actually protecting your ability to recover and show up the next day as your best self."

"Think of your nervous system like the thermostat in your home. If you wake up and immediately spike your stress, it's like cranking the heat up to 85 degrees. Your entire system is in fight or flight before you even have your breakfast."

"Only 9% of people who make New Year's resolutions report feeling successful in achieving them by the end of the year. But you know why? Because 92% of people fail to achieve their long term goals due to lack of a specific, actionable plan."

"The strongest, most successful people I know are the ones who are willing to ask for help. Who are willing to invest in support. Who are willing to build systems that work for them instead of pretending they can white knuckle their way through life."

"Once you have the support in place, the goal becomes almost automatic. You're not fighting yourself anymore. You're not relying on willpower. You're working with systems and people who support you. And that's when real transformation happens."

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Call to Action

Are you ready to transform 2026 with intentional routines and sustainable goals?

1. Start Your Evening Routine This Week - Choose ONE element of the LIVING routine (Let Go, Integrate, Visualize, Intimacy, Nourish, or Gratitude) and implement it consistently for a week. Notice how it affects your sleep and energy.

2. Define Your Big Three Goals - Before setting ambitious targets, ask yourself: How do I want to feel? Choose 3 specific, meaningful goals aligned with those feelings, not just metrics.

3. Build Your Support System - Don't go it alone. Identify:

   • An accountability partner
   • One system that would make your goals easier
   • One investment in yourself (course, coach, community)

4. Subscribe & Share - Love this episode? Subscribe to the Living Simpler podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Share with someone who needs to hear about the power of evening routines and sustainable goal-setting.

5. Connect With Amy - Get personalized guidance, coaching, and community:

   • Follow Amy on Instagram for daily inspiration
   • Explore her wellness picks
   • Join her coaching community for accountability and support

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Additional Resources & Links

Free Health Resources: Living Simpler Health Resources

Connect With Amy: Follow Amy on Instagram

Shop Wellness Products: Amy's Top Wellness Picks on Amazon

Shop Amy's Favorite Shaklee Products

Related Episodes:

• Part 1: Setting Your Goals and Routines for Your Best 2026 Yet - Your Morning Routine (The SIMPLER Method)

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a masterclass in understanding that sustainable achievement requires both rest and action, both ambition and recovery. Amy's insight that burnout comes not from busy days but from the inability to truly end and rest is paradigm-shifting. Combined with concrete frameworks (LIVING routine), powerful research, and real-world examples, listeners will leave this episode not just informed but inspired and equipped to build 2026 differently—not through more hustle, but through smarter systems, intentional rest, and meaningful support.

The message is clear: Real transformation isn't dramatic. It's consistent, daily choices that add up over time to create a completely different life.