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As humans, we are all creatures of habit. Routines are a comfort to us, signaling to our brains when it’s time to get up, do certain tasks within the day, and wind down at the end of it all. We teach routines to our children as a means of giving them good grounding in this life as well as give them a sense of organization in their days and nights. This carries into our adulthoods where we rely on our routines as a means of getting tasks accomplished, and allowing our minds to be quiet at night.
Nighttime routines are equally as beneficial as their daytime counterparts. Here are five ways to develop a solid routine that benefits you and the life you lead.
1. Prioritize how you want your mornings to go.
Are you wanting to be the kind of person to wake up at 5am and get things done before others are even up for the day? Or do you want your mornings to be less chaotic and rushed? Setting a solid nighttime routine helps with both! Write down a list of what you’d like to see in your morning times, and make adjustments where needed. Perhaps there are tasks that can be done the night before or throughout the day that make the following morning easier. Or you need to set your nighttime routine to where you are in bed early enough to have an earlier morning. Think about it, and plan it out.
2. Think about the person you’d like to become.
This goes hand in hand with the first point. A solid nighttime routine makes all the difference between becoming who you are meant to be and staying stagnant. Let’s face it–sometimes we all have to change our habits to make that happen! Write down a list or make a vision board for the kind of person you’d like to be one day, and set a nighttime routine to best suit it.
3. Set a cut off time for all technology usage.
This is a no-brainer these days. Nearly all of us use too much tech for far too long. This has a proven effect on our ability to wind down in the evenings. Set a cut off time for your tech. It’ll be there in the morning.
4. Replace all old routines that no longer work for you with ones that do.
Times change as do people. Routines that worked just fine before may no longer work now. Re-evaluate what does work as well as what does not and make changes accordingly. This will especially be different for everyone.
5. Remember that the point is to set up a nighttime routine in order to relax and wind down for the day.
Your nighttime routine is set for you and no one else in order to help you slowly get your mind and body to settle down for the evening. It is meant to help you with your nights, and therefore help you with your following days as well. It is meant to work as a cycle that is actually good for you, and to train your mind and body to operate in a healthier manner. Don’t overwhelm yourself with too much to do in an evening or working too late to try and make everything easier on yourself.
Nighttime routines are a great way to have better nights, and lead to a healthier life over time. Set one up for yourself today, and stick to it to see greater results!
