Morning Routines Are Useless If You Neglect Doing These 4 Habits

There’s a few barriers that make or break how we go about each and every day and it doesn’t start with your morning routine. Nope. Not even close. What we ought to be focusing on if we want to increase our stream of productivity should be our evening rituals.

By working on that, you’ll actually learn to balance work obligations with family and self time.

Face it, work doesn’t always end at 5 pm does it? There’s always that ONE person at work be it a coworker or your manager that will continue to work well into the night and it’ll cause you to continuously work. Working all day with little to no sleep then trying to wake up at 5am to get ahead?

Make it make sense because at that rate, you’re pretty much digging your own grave.

Brian Dordevic, lead strategist at Alpha Efficiency argues that the biggest possible barrier to peak perfomance is SLEEP.

Do What You Must To Snooze

It’s essential and countless studies have stated everyone benefits from sleeping as much as possible, so why is it so hard for some folks to do?

If anything can be assumed, it would be because we all to some degree suffer from FOMO. We’ve heard it before, that you can sleep when you’re dead and that you should take advantage of each possible moment.

Sure, that’s understandable but the harsh reality is that the less you sleep, the shorter your life will be.

“Sleep is not a waste of time. During sleep, a variety of biological processes take place that restore our bodies and minds.”

- Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer

So if you want to start improving your life, you first need to buckle down on sleeping more and increasing your sleep quality.

Create A Wind Down Routine, And Stick To It

To start, think back on the numerous times you were “done” working and how that would go.

You would sort of finish work after 5 and then every other hour respond to an email or continue working trying to finish more items only to realize you should’ve gone to sleep an hour ago.

Sound familiar?

It happens, but it helps to be firm with yourself and allow yourself to stop working and focus on other habits and hobbies. Be strict with yourself on when to stop working, when watching shows (Netflix I’m looking right at you), or when you find yourself just scrolling through Facebook.

If it helps, create a wind down to do list that looks like this,

• Finish working by 6 pm, then set any communication notifications (Slack for example) to DND until the next day
• Have dinner by 7:30 pm, this helps to ensure you fully digest what you’ve eaten because it’s harder to sleep right after eating
• Work on hobbies at 8:30 pm, be it painting or writing and set a timer so you don’t lose track of time
• Make a to do list for the next day, set aside your clothes for the next day, put up post it notes on what you want to accomplish the next day (make sure it’s visible so you see it as soon as you wake up)
• Get into sleep mode at 10 pm (say you want to actually sleep by 11) and fix up your environment to promote sleep and pick up a book

The key here is making sure you follow through with your routine so that it reaches the point where it’s naturally habitual and not a “chore”.

Create A Sleep Sanctuary

Your bed should be your haven, it’s where you fall into your pillows and get so comfortable you should naturally fall into deep sleep. But that’s easier said that done.

At a time when a lot of people are working remotely it can become habit to work from the comfort of your bed. It’s happened to everyone at one point but this is a habit everyone should AVOID.

We should aim to keep our bed a place strictly for sleep because when you add work into that it makes sleeping that much harder. Dim the lights sooner than later because we all know blue light anything will delay sleep. But if you have to stare at a screen like say your computer, invest in good quality anti-blue light screen filters like these.

However, to create that dreamy sanctuary you should focus on engaging your five senses.

• Spritz some calming sleep scents like lavender, jasmine, vanilla, or sandalwood on your pillows or if you have those essential oils roll them on behind your ears or dab a bit on your wrists
• Have a warm drink 40 mins before bed, such as tea or hot water with lemon
• Use a white noise machine to help ease you into sleep instead of listening to a playlist as that could distract you and potentially keep you up longer
• Put on some comfy pajamas that are breathable and slightly loose (cotton is best)
• Make your room and bed visually appealing to set the mood, so remove any clutter and keep electronics away

If you want to go the extra mile to really get a good nights sleep, make sure to upgrade your mattress, invest in good blackout shades and choose proper bedding (good pillows and sheets).

Decompress Your Mind And Body

As stated, we should aim to reach a relaxed state of being going into the night as stress eats away at any chance for a successful nights rest.

Matthew Walker, best selling author of Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams states,

“Humans are not sleeping the way nature intended. The number of sleep bouts, the duration of sleep, and when sleep occurs has all been comprehensively distorted by modernity.”

In these modern times, it has definitely gotten harder to unplug but we must work hard to work around this. Get started with doing some light stretching 30 mins before bed and meditate to relax and quiet down your mind.

Reflect on the day and try to come up with one major good thing that happened or what you’re grateful for. It may be awkward if you have never done that before but by doing so, it will remind you of the progress you are making. This helps you stay motivated with achieving your goals and help push you to continue doing those things.

You can write it down on a piece of paper or journal, it’s really your preference but as long as you’re looking back into each day that’s what counts.

Pick A Book To Read

According to a Pew Research study, roughly 27% of Americans state they haven’t really read a book within the last year or so. While that number may not be shocking, it’s important to note that the benefits of reading include being an aide to sleep.

When reading, you’re forced to focus on that and extract as much value as possible. By this time, you’re comfortably laid up in bed and your lights are dimmed out which proves to be the best time for reading.

Though if you’re stuck on what to read, check out some of these suggestions.

1. A Man’s Search For Meaning

A classic read everyone in their lifetime should pick up at one point as Frankl provides a different perspective on the meaning of life itself. It also holds a vast amount of wisdom that will inspire many to change their life around.

2. A Chance In The World

The heartbreaking but true story of Steve Pemberton, in his best selling memoir he writes about the horrors and challenges faced growing up in the foster care system. As one reviewer claims, “The overriding takeaway in this incredible memoir is RESILIENCE.”

3. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

A riveting read on what it means to be introverted and that not everyone fits the “extrovert” mold and that’s perfectly okay. Definitely a book that warrants your attention as Cain cites various scientific studies to back her claims and is well written.

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While it takes time to build out your evening routine, it pays off in the long run because small habits compound and produce massive results.

Zero in on what’s important and don’t sweat the small things like getting to each and every last email. No, that’s not worth your time.

What is worth it is making time for yourself.