It’s really hard to have a good morning if you went to bed already behind. Having a good nighttime routine can greatly improve your mornings and help you set up the next day for success. I’m more of a night person than a morning person so the more I can get done the night before, the better off I am. Even if you are a morning person, doing a few things before bed can help the morning go more smoothly. Everyone’s nighttime routine will look a little bit different but there are a few things that you may want to consider when making your nighttime routine.
- Go to bed at a decent hour – In a perfect world, you want to get 7-8 hours (or more) of sleep a night. So take a look at what time you need to wake up in the morning and count backwards from there to see what time you should be going to bed. For me, I need to be in bed by 10pm. This gives me enough sleep so that when I wake up at 6am, I am not a bear.
- Do a brain dump/to-do list – Be sure to check your planner or your calendar and write a to-do list before bed. This type of brain dumping can help get things out of your head and help you sleep. In the morning you will have a full list of things that need to get done for that day.
- Prep breakfast and lunches – If you or the kids are breakfast eaters, set out the bowls or plates, and have an idea what everyone will be having. Put together the lunches and pack them in the fridge so you don’t have to worry about it in the morning.
- Go to bed with a clean kitchen – The worst thing in the world to me is coming downstairs to make my coffee in the morning and there are dishes in the sink and the kitchen is a mess. I give myself 15 minutes and do a quick tidy of the kitchen – cleaning up from making lunches, washing any dishes that are in the sink, putting dishes away, wiping down the counters, and taking out any trash or recycling.
- Get clothes ready for the next day – This is especially a good idea if you work away from home, or have kids that are going to school. Setting out all of the clothes the night before is a huge time saver for me. No one is running around looking for underwear, socks or an outfit that matches – everything is set out and ready to be put on.
- Self-Care – This is extremely important and doing something that helps you relax (reading, bubble bath, diffusing essential oils etc) can help you fall asleep as well.
- Take it slowly – One thing to try is to just add 1-2 things to your routine at a time and let them become habits. It’s normal to want to do all of the things at once, but taking your time and working slowly is the key to making your routine last and really work for you.
MY NIGHTTIME ROUTINE
- Washing remaining dishes in sink, wipe down counters, put dishes away.
- Walk through the first floor and do a quick pick up (dog toys, toys, an errant sock etc.)
- Take the dog for a walk.
- Get ready for bed (wash face, lotion, skincare routine, pajamas)
- Read in bed (currently reading The Woman in the Window by A.J Finn andddd I’m LOVING IT!!)
- Turn on my diffuser that is filled with my doTERRA lavender essential oil and spray my pillow with a lavender pillow spray from Bath and Body Works.
- Sleeping by 10 p.m.
What are your must-haves for a successful nighttime routine? Leave it in the comments!
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