Nighttime Routine
I have written about my morning routine in the past, and I was certain I had written about my nighttime routine but I couldn’t find any record of it. So here it goes.
As I tend to say many times a week, none of my habits, routines or ideas are original. I am a great aggregator of ideas from those more successful in all areas of life, and I am trying to improve upon those concepts for myself.
I have iterated and tried a variety of different nighttime routines. The whole point is to find one that works for you and make it a habit. Stick with it and make the tweaks and changes that you need for your current circumstances.
The following routine is the one has stuck, and I can say I have successfully followed it 5-6 times per week for the last few years.
Choose a start time. My routine starts 60 minutes before I intend to go to bed. I am going to be really honest here: with my five kids, bedtime is still a struggle, so having everything go the way I plan is not likely. Two of the seven nights, it’s magic, and the kids are as sweet as can be. Then another two of the seven nights, it’s a legit hostage negotiation. (If you haven't seen the Jim Gaffigan bit, watch it on YouTube, and enjoy the laugh.)
Lay out clothes for next day. If you go to the gym, pack your gym bag and work bag.
Try to do some form of shutdown ritual. I have called it “charting” for years, just like a doctor would chart at the end of a busy day with patients.
Journal. My nighttime journaling includes a few steps that I tend to modify about every 90 days.
Pray. Pray in whatever form you practice this. I try to pray in the same place (my “prayer spot”) and in somewhat the same way.
Meditate. I have gone from meditating 20 minutes to meditating 10 minutes to simply taking 10 breaths. Having meditated tens of thousands of minutes (11,102 minutes according to my Headspace app at the time of writing this), I am a big advocate of meditation, and I have written about the benefits in the past. (Click here for part one and click here for part two). I can clear my mind in 10 breaths, although longer is always great too. For me, 10 minutes of meditation is the ideal session length.
Affirmations. This part of my routine might include a short “future self” exercise. I usually think about my roles, and then my affirmations are my personal core values, and I imagine myself being more than I am now.
Share love. I’m not perfect at this, but I try not to go to bed without hugging all of my kids.
Detach from technology. I charge my iPhone and Apple Watch away from my bedroom, so if I get a late call or text, I almost always miss it.
Fill my water cup. This way it’s full to drink immediately upon waking up.
Read. I have read a lot about pre-bed reading, and I am sure it’s not ideal for my sleep, but I try to read 10-30 minutes anyway.
I encourage you to dial in your nighttime routine. Let me know at tanner@menlocre.com if you have another practice that really makes a difference; I’d love to hear about it.