Do These 5 Things Before Bed to Dramatically Improve Your Life
Your future self will thank you.
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Much has been written about how to cultivate a productive morning routine, but I’ve actually found that the things I do (or don’t do) before I go to bed at night have have the biggest impact on my life. Here are five practices I consistently follow that have made the biggest difference:
Reset Your Space
Who wants to wake up to a house full of chaos? Nobody, that’s who. If you do nothing else before bed, I implore you to try a five-minute tidy. Wipe down surfaces, put away dirty dishes (or at least centralize into the sink or dishwasher), relocate random items that have lost their way, and toss dirty laundry into your laundry bins. This will take less time than you think and is truly a gift to your future self.
Hide Your Mobile Phone
I mean it. Get your phone out of your bedroom and as far away as possible. To give your brain and central nervous system a well-deserved rest so you can be fully present as you start and end your day, experts recommend turning off all screens at least an hour before bed.
Do Something Just For You
This is really important: Make sure to do at least one thing that is just for you and has nothing to do with family or work responsibilities - even if it’s only for fifteen minutes before bed. Fuel your mind with a good book or favorite podcast, stretch or take a brisk evening walk, doodle or write or paint, engage in a hobby or spiritual practice. Stop multitasking and do something you enjoy. Anything.
Reflect and Set Intentions
Spend a few minutes reflecting on your day and setting intentions for the next day. These prompts can help:
Where do I want to focus my time and energy?
What do I wish I had spent more time on today?
What do I want to commit to for tomorrow?
What changes or improvements do I need to make?
Prep for the Next Day
Here are a few simple things you can do before bed to set yourself up for success:
Review your schedule for the next day and jot down priorities and to-do’s. I like to make a cheat sheet for my day on a white index card.
Extra credit: Lay out your clothes, pack your bag, and prep lunch or snacks.
What did I miss? Anything you do before bed that has made a big difference? Please share in the comments below?
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These are great ideas. I especially like the “do something just for you idea,” which would make me feel at least a little bit like my day had a component of tenderness towards myself. My trick to make the mornings go smoother is to set the timer on the coffee pot and get it all set to go so it’s as though someone made me a warm cup of coffee in the morning. I’m also big on meal prep—chia protein pudding, egg bites—whatever I plan to eat for breakfast needs to be essentially ready to go to ensure a good start to my day.
Great reminders! The last few years, I’ve been making an effort to do these things at night. When I’m really intentionally prepping for the next day, I’ll even make a triple batch of my morning protein shake and couple of days a week so I don’t have to do it every morning. And setting my priority for the next day was usually pretty simple because I was working full-time as a teacher. But now I’m self-employed as a stager, stylist and organizer and find I’ve fallen off my night routine because I theoretically have time in the morning. Not the best idea when setting my plan for the day and reflecting on progress is even more important (hello self-employment income!!). Thanks for sharing this!