Your nightly rituals deserves special attention.
Morning routines are vital, but it starts the night before. Prepare for your tomorrow morning, the night before.
I’ve had mornings where I woke-up sluggish, groggy and tired. I know the culprit; last night’s Binge watching series, then proceeding to be in bed with my phone in my hand, spiraling into youtube clips, Instagram and Pintrest. Not forgetting whatsapp group discussions.
One of my goals for 2019 is to create better sleeping habits. According to David Rapoport, MD, director of the NYU Sleep Disorders Program , a good night’s sleep helps with:
- Improving memory
- Spur creativity
- Sharpen attention
- Have a healthy
- Lower stress
We all know what to do to get a good night’s sleep. I won’t bore you with that. Instead, lets create nightly rituals that make the following morning not only easier but awesome.
Visualizing
Visualization techniques have been used by successful people to visualize their desired outcomes for ages. Charles Duhigg talks about this exercise in his book Smarter Faster Better. Duhigg writes about how the most productive people visualize their days with more specificity than the rest of us.
Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, calls this “envisioning your Chief Aim.” Think of your chief aim as the mission statement of your primary purpose in life.
According to Entrepreneur.com, doing this before bed activates your creative subconscious while you sleep.
Visualize the next day in great detail.
Journaling
I know, I know, but don’t be put of just yet. It doesn’t have to be a labor intensive exercise. You’re not writing a novel. Nor are your writing a “Dear diary” entry (only if you want to).
Successful famous people who keep a journal are, J.K. Rowling, Eminem and even Oprah.
Marc Chernoff says your journal is your Map. If you want to get somewhere in life, you need a map, and your journal is that map. You can write down what you did today, what you tried to accomplish, where you made mistakes, and so much more. It’s a place to reflect. It’s a place to capture important thoughts. It’s a place to sort out where you’ve been and where you intend to go.
Seeing how you can make small improvements each day will help you course-correct early on. But make time to both acknowledge the good and recognize the bad.
Do a quick audit of the day. This can be a quick 5-10 minute exercise.
Plan for Tomorrow
Make tomorrows to-do list, get a clear sense of what tomorrow will look like.
A clear and concise to-do list ensures you wake up with a purpose. Doing this before bed gives your subconscious a chance to ruminate on ideas throughout the night.
Actively Prep for tomorrow says Stephanie Gerber . Set out your gym clothes to set the intention of getting exercise. Put together an overnight oatmeal or a make-ahead smoothie for breakfast and pack up leftovers for an easy lunch.
You’ll be amazed how much this simple practice eases anxiety.