A Girl's Guide to a Productive After School Routine

We’ve all done it. You walk through the door after a long day of classes, toss your bag on the floor, and tell yourself: ‘I’ll just scroll for fifteen minutes to relax a little bit.’ Fast forward two hours later, and you’re deep in a rabbit hole of cat videos or 'Get Ready With Me' vlogs. Suddenly, the sun is setting, your mom is calling you for dinner, and that math homework hasn't even been touched. If you feel like you want to be productive but still want to have time to chill, this step-by-step guide is for you! 

1. Change your clothes: Please change your clothes when you get home! You’ve been running around, walking from class to class; you’re going to be very sweaty when you get home! So please don’t be unhygienic and change into comfy clothes. Also, when you change into comfy clothes, it helps you to feel comfortable and relaxed at home. 

2. Wash your hands and face: Please do this! During school, you’ve touched a lot of dirty things. Your face also needs a wash for it to get released from the school air and feel refreshed. So please don’t be unhygienic and wash your hands and face!

3. Have some water and a simple snack: After a long day of school, your body needs water. It’s simply necessary for your body. Before getting productive and starting your homework, your body needs a little energy, like a simple snack! And I don’t mean chips and popcorn, I mean a healthy snack. Like some fruits, and a toast, crackers, or your leftover lunch you didn’t finish at school. Fruits would be a good snack before studying because blood sugar levels affect memory and attention, especially for younger students. 

4. Check your Agenda/Planner: Now it’s time to get real productive. This is the time to check when your next formatives, summatives are and when your homework is due. This is also your time to divide your homework (Example: My Dutch homework is due on Thursday, so I’ll do it tomorrow.). This step is always necessary. Trust me, nobody remembers their homework after a long day. (If you do, that’s impressive but it is always better to double check) 

5. Prepare your study area: Preparing your study area is necessary. This helps to get rid of distractions, and to make space to actually be able to study. Getting rid of distractions helps to make you stay focused. I recommend using a pomodoro timer to help you stay focused.

6. Study & Make your notes for your upcoming Summative: This is your time to study and practice whatever you have, so make the most of your time! Have a glass of water next to you so that you don’t get dehydrated.

7.  Take a break: After all that studying, you deserve a break. But don’t take up your break in scrolling, it removes the relaxing element of the break. Instead, you can: Go take a walk, read, talk with your family, and relax.

8. Go through your notes of the classes you have tomorrow: Trust me, this helps a lot. This helps so that tomorrow you won’t be blank during class. This shouldn’t take a lot of time either. 

9. Have dinner: Pretty straightforward, you can have dinner, talk with your family, et cetera. 

10.  Tv shows, Talking with family: This is your time to catch up with your TV shows and with your family. You can also talk more with your family.

11. Go to sleep: Finally, your day ends and you can calmly go to sleep knowing you’ve relaxed and did your homework.

Works Cited

Aesthetic advice. “Productive Afterschool Routine for 9-17 Year Olds🎀✨| Realistic and Chill.” YouTube, 1 Feb. 2026, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS1VqC9mJEs. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.