A Successful Night Routine For Productivity
I see all over the place about the power of a morning routine. I even wrote an article about it called Make Your Bed: But First Coffee. But if you're like me, you need a successful night routine to get ready for your morning.
I used to think that a morning routine was key to a successful day. Now I know better than a night routine is where the benefits start.
To have a successful morning, you need a good night's sleep. You need to be ready for the next day, so you are not running around trying to get things down in the morning instead of using it to be productive.
What are the Goals of a Night Routine?
1.Improve your sleep quality
Sleep helps your memory and cognition, facilitates learning, recharges our mental and physical batteries, and generally helps us make the most out of our days.
With plentiful sleep, we improve our mental and physical health, reduce stress, and maintain the routine that is critical to healthy daily functioning.
2.Make the next day smoother, more productive, and healthier.
When you plan your night before, you make for an amazing morning and day. You prepare for the day, so you don't have to stress when you wake up. You go through the day with ease.
3.Reflect on the day to extract the lessons and insights from it.
At the end of the day is your chance to go over everything from the day. How to improve and create a better tomorrow.
I journal, I write down everything from the day and create a better tomorrow with a to-do list after I'm down. But, my to-do list is never longer than 3 things. One larger goal and two smaller ones.
What Is Your Perfect Night Routine?
My perfect night routine is not a one size fits all kind of thing. Everyone has their way to go to bed. It has taking me a while to find a routine that works with my schedule and needs
Here is the nightly routine that works for me on most nights.
7:00 pm- Kids in Bed/ Clean up house: My least favorite part of the day.
7:30 pm- Shower/ I listen to a Podcast while I take a shower.
7:45 pm- Journal/ Next day Do list/ Set out clothes/ Coffee Ready: Makes for an easier morning.
8:30 pm- Read: Right now I'm reading "Relentless" by Tim Grover
9:00 pm- Bed or Write till ten: This depends on the day and my mood. I love to write while I'm in the mood. So I risk snd extra hours of sleep to grow my blog and traffic.
Simple, Sweet, and Groovy. Perfect for my nighttime routine.
I used to take a shower and go straight to bed. Then when I woke up in the morning, I spent an extra 2 hours doing things I could have done the night before. When I could have spent those hours working on my goals.
Here are some ideas to add to your nighttime routine to have for a productive morning. I went through all the top night routines from successful people, and here are the top answers I received.
1.Shower.
This is a great way to tell your body to wind down for bed. A warm shower calms the body and helps lower your temperature once you get out.
Basically, it helps you fall asleep a lot quicker. When it becomes a habit, it will signal your body that it is time for bed. Doing so will help you fall asleep more quickly and longer
2.Turn Your phone on Airplay mode
Let's face it, cell phones are a distraction these days. Especially with social media and texting, your phone is always going off. It is very distracting.
Also, out of habit, you probably reach for your phone every time it vibrates or makes a little sound. That is a big no-no when trying to settle down for the night.
When your brain is scrolling through articles, emails, or even Instagram. You are telling your body that you are awake and you are not going to go to sleep. Also, it can make you extremely groggy in the morning. Nobody wants that.
3.Turn Off The T.V
I used to do this all the time, it was a bad habit. I would always fall asleep with the TV on and barely get any sleep. Mostly, because once I start watching, I can't stop.
Also, when you have the T.V on when you are trying to sleep it tells your brain that it is daytime. So even when you fall asleep, the t.v is still on and it will cause your REM sleep to be disturbed and you would not have had a good night's rest.
4.Journal
This is the one thing I recommend to everyone! There are multiple types of journals out there. So you can find your perfect one. I wrote an article all about journals, and their benefits here: Journaling: One Hell Of A Habit.
I write in my journal daily, well twice a day. I'm obsessed with this amazing habit. I use a priority, daily, diary, and brain dump journal to help me on my journal to become successful.
5.Write down your to-do list for the next day?
My rule is to write down three things that I have to get done for the next day. Biggest and hardest one first.
Example:
Errands: paying bills, meetings, and store
Writing: Write for 4 hours that day
Laundry: Get all of the clothes down, or get all of the blankets down.
Then when all of those are done, I can do whatever else needs to be done for the day. By doing a 3 maximum list, it gives you a chance of accomplishment. In doing so, not only do you feel accomplished, you get the top priority stuff done for the day. Making you closer to your goals.
6.Read
It is proven that reading before going to bed, even for 10 minutes, will help combat insomnia. Also, it helps you relax and to stop thinking about the worries of the day.
I like to be ready for at least 30 minutes at night. Most of the time it is something inspiring to get me motivated for the next day. If I don't have time to read, I will listen to an audiobook or even a podcast.
Summary
Without a great nighttime routine to get you ready for the next day. Your morning routine will be in chaos. You will be tired, unorganized and you want to know what needs to be done for the day.
Having a night routine helps you with all of that. All you need to figure out is your timeline. What time do you want to start calming down and getting stuff ready for the morning?
For me, I need 2-3 hours for a nighttime routine, and it is perfect. For you, it might be 4 hours. Or maybe even 30 minutes. Just make sure you follow at least one of the habits above to create your perfect night routine.
Thank you all so much for being here and reading my article! I'm excited to be on this personal growth journey with you. To reach our dreams and become the people we desire to be. You all are F'n rokcstars.
As always, remember you are strong, beautiful, and HELLA freaking powerful.
Get your Priorities in Check!
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