I’m sure by now you have your morning routine down pat but what is your nighttime routine looking like?
There is nothing better than coming home after a long day, kicking your shoes off, and unwinding. If you are anything like me, you would come home, time would melt away, and just like that, your alarm was going off at 5:30 am and you would be starting your day all over again…can anyone relate? This routine was not sustainable for me.
Although I have a type Z, easy-going personality, I need structure in my routine or else all hell breaks loose. I enjoy setting myself up for future success and hence, my nighttime routine was born.
Since incorporating a nighttime routine into my daily schedule, my mornings have been running a lot smoother and look a lot less chaotic. No longer am I running around trying to come up with a lunch idea, staring into my closet for what feels like hours deciding on an outfit, or wondering what it is I have on my plate for the day.
Below I have laid out 5 easy things you can do to create a sustainable nighttime routine in order to have a smoother morning. It may take time to incorporate into your daily routine, but I promise it is worth it!
5 Things To Do for a Smoother Morning
Prepare for the next day
Preparing for your morning may sound like a no-brainer but getting into this routine can take some time. I am the queen of “I’ll do XYZ later tonight” and guess what, I fall asleep watching Netflix on the couch. I had to train myself to get into a nighttime routine.
Prepping for your morning can look differently for everyone. As part of my nighttime routine, I meal prep my lunch, I pick out my outfit, lay out my gym clothes, and set the automatic timer on our coffee pot. Since settling into this routine, my mornings run a lot smoother and there is less chaotic running around.
Clean the kitchen
Elliott is the master chef in our household…without him, we would starve or eat peanut butter sandwiches for dinner. Now I’m not sure if this is true for every master chef, but with greatness comes the use of almost every single pot and pan in our kitchen!
I used to come home from work every day and do the kitchen clean-up since Elliott so generously cooks for us. However, I realized I was letting a sink full of dishes sit overnight. This chore would take away time from my afternoon that I could be using for other things like errands, blog work, or just plain ole relaxing after a long day.
So do your future self a favor and just take the time to clean up your kitchen every night. Not only will you go to bed knowing you have a sparkling clean kitchen but it is one less thing you have to worry about in the morning (or afternoon).
Get familiar with tomorrow’s to-do list
This was something I did for a long time every morning while I sipped my coffee but I realized I was wasting a lot of precious time. This hot tip is something I learned from my work wife. She was always talking about how she takes time every night to make a to-do list for the next day before bed. This boss babe would come to work and she had already run 7 miles, completed a load of laundry, started prepping her dinner and it was only 7:45 am…girl, are you even human?!?
Seeing how organized and productive she was really inspired me to take some time to create my to-do list the night before. Now that I have gotten on board with this time-saving trick, I can’t turn back!
Knowing exactly what I need to do the next day not only helps me mentally prepare for my future tasks at hand, but it allows me to block out my time effectively. Mastering time management is an ongoing battle.
Take a beat for yourself
As a woman, you hold a lot of responsibilities. You basically keep the world turning. But how do you keep moving when you are burnt out…it’s tough! By taking even just a few minutes to enjoy some alone time from the kids, take a bath, read a book, binge watch Netflix, or take part in some personal reflection, your morning self will appreciate it.
Self-care should not just be a Sunday activity. Taking part in small self-care moments every day will keep you balanced, healthy, and more in tune with what’s going on around you. Do not feel guilty for taking care of yourself!
Go to Bed
The amount of sleep required for each person to be successful every day varies. The CDC recommends that the average adult should be getting 7+ hours of sleep a night. Try establishing a bedtime routine that you can consistently maintain.
Once 8 pm rolls around, I am jumping into my jammies and getting ready to hop into bed. Every morning I enjoy looking at the sleep data that my Garmin watch collected overnight to see if I can improve my sleep game. I highly recommend studying your sleep patterns in order to achieve optimal sleep! Your to-do list will go a lot smoother if you are fully recharged!
I hope my nighttime routine inspires you to make one for you and your family! I promise, your morning will run a lot smoother!
Are there any nighttime rituals you swear by? Comment below!
