Your Day Starts the Night Before: Nightly Routines Impact a Productive Day
You’ve heard all the stories about leaders throughout our history that begin their day with an intentional morning routine. I’m a big morning routine person myself, I don’t function well without it. I believe there is another secret to a productive day - start the night before.
Too often, people don’t look at their calendar and what lies ahead until the day it is occurring. Depending on how busy your days are, this can be a huge stressor. Don’t get enough sleep before those busy days? The stress compounds.
Even if you already plan and think through your day before it happens, I bet there are things you could add to your evening routine that will prep you for a more productive day.
The key is to remember that your day starts the night before. Before your work day ends, ask yourself, what could I do this evening to have a more productive day tomorrow? Here are some ideas:
Prepare. Are there kids' lunches to prep, or your meals to prep (so you eat healthy & don’t grab convenience junk food)? Yes, this affects your productivity. Help yourself by prepping those meals and set out your workout clothes, bottle of water or coffee, and tidy the kitchen.
Look at your calendar. Is it too crammed? Do you need more help? This could mean asking your spouse, an assistant, or a babysitter to step in on some of your tasks. Do you have more than one heavy-load, or back-to-back appointments that will leave you depleted? Enough drive time built in to prep for any traffic delays? What can you do to lighten things out? (Examples; rearrange your schedule if possible, leave 10 minutes early, take a walk outdoors beforehand, bring water, a protein snack, etc.). When you think it through ahead of time, it typically goes smoother.
Quality sleep. Turn off the screens earlier, read, put the phone away, and go to bed at a decent hour. I see people trying to do miraculous morning routines only to find themselves hitting snooze and being disappointed. If you want to start getting up earlier, go to bed earlier. I know it sounds simple but you’d be surprised at what we expect of ourselves!
Clear your mind. The key is, don’t fall asleep to your worries. I know, I know, that sounds tough in a world of stress, right? Sleep is an important time when your subconscious mind is at work, so don’t go to bed marinating in your worries. Instead, I recommend either journaling them out, making a “to-do list for the universe” (from Kate Northrup’s amazing book Do Less), or praying to turn these things over to your higher power before your head hits the pillow. I like to read this quote when the worries are heavy & I find it hard to empty my mind before sleep.
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
End on a good note. Fall asleep imagining your “wishes fulfilled” (another good book by Wayne Dyer). You can also sift through the memories of your day to find the moments you are most grateful for. Mentally thinking through what you are grateful for and/or visualizing your goals as achieved (focusing on how you will FEEL afterward) helps your subconscious go to work for you. This brings you a fresh perspective and bountiful inspiration in the morning.
What else could you do the night before that will make you more productive? Think through your typical morning and how it flows. Where do you run into trouble, what are the sticking points for you and your family?
There are clues in the morning struggles that signpost for what you can do to proactively prepare. Most importantly, remember - a productive day starts the night before. Keep asking these questions and you’ll refine your evening routine to truly support your productive day ahead!
