Evening review: a ten-minute look back at the day

An evening review is a short, quiet look back at your day, followed by a brief plan for tomorrow. It takes about ten minutes, a journal and a willingness to notice your day without grading it. You can do it as a prayer or as a plain evening routine reflection.

Why people do it

People use an evening reflection to put the day down before sleep. Running through what happened, naming what went well and jotting down what still needs doing can make the evening feel finished rather than left hanging. Many people say it also helps them notice small good moments they would otherwise forget.

The practice is adapted from the daily Examen, a prayer from the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. He asked Jesuits to practice it twice a day, at noon and at the end of the day. Jesuits and many other Christians still pray it, and the version here offers both that faith-based form and a secular one.

The review engages the mind through reflection and an ordered close to the day that supports sleep. It engages the soul through gratitude and honest attention to your emotions. For people who pray it, it is also a practice of the spirit, a daily conversation with God about ordinary life. You can read more about this side of care on the Soul hub.

What the evidence says

The evidence here is mixed, and it helps to keep the pieces separate. The Examen itself has not been studied in the sources behind this page. As a prayer practice it rests on tradition, as described by Jesuit sources, not on research. Two of its ingredients do have some research behind them. A 2018 sleep-laboratory study in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General followed 57 healthy adults aged 18 to 30. Those who spent five minutes writing a specific to-do list at bedtime fell asleep faster than those who wrote about tasks they had already finished, and more specific lists went with faster sleep onset. That supports ending your review with a concrete plan for tomorrow, though it was one small study in young, healthy people. Harvard Health Publishing reports that gratitude writing has been linked with more optimism, and notes that such studies cannot prove cause and effect.

Variations

• The full Examen as prayer. Follow all five traditional steps, from becoming aware of God’s presence to looking toward tomorrow. It suits people who want the review to be a time of prayer.
• The secular three-question version. Ask what you are grateful for, which moment stirred strong feeling and what tomorrow needs. It suits anyone who wants the structure without a religious frame.
• The midday Examen. Do a shorter review around noon, as Ignatius practiced, as well as or instead of the evening one. It suits people whose evenings are crowded or who want a reset halfway through the day.
• The bedtime to-do list on its own. Spend five minutes writing a specific list for tomorrow and stop there. It suits nights when you are tired and mainly want your mind to stop rehearsing tasks.

Common mistakes

• Turning it into self-criticism. The review is for noticing, not for putting yourself on trial. When you spot something you regret, name it once, note what you might do differently and move on.
• Writing about everything you did. A long record of the day may keep your mind busy at bedtime. Keep the look back brief and put your writing effort into a short, specific plan for tomorrow.
• Doing it in bed on a phone. A screen tends to pull you into messages and news. Use a paper journal in a chair, and consider pairing the review with a digital sunset.
• Skipping the gratitude step. Going straight to problems tilts the whole review toward worry. Start with a few things you are thankful for, and if you enjoy that part, a separate gratitude journal can build on it.