10 Simple Habits for a Productive Night-Time Routine

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Evenings are traditionally the time of day when we wind down and relax. What if there were a few quick and easy things you could do each night that would set you up for an easier, more productive day the next morning? You’d want to follow that routine to give yourself a head start, wouldn’t you?

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Today, we’ll share a list of things you can do to create a productive night-time routine so that you start the following day the way you mean to finish it. You’ll be more organised and more rested so you can tackle anything the day has in store.

Let’s get into it.

Habits to Build a Productive Night-Time Routine

Here are a few ways you can get ahead the night before and give yourself a head start in the morning.

1. Sort out an appropriate outfit

You know what it’s like. You wake in the morning with no idea what to wear and end up spending half an hour at least finding a good outfit for the day.

Instead, do it the night before.

Think about what you are doing the following day.

Have you:

• Got a meeting?
• Got to work?
• Planned a family get-together?
• Arranged to meet up with friends?

Depending on what you’ve got to do, lay out an appropriate outfit the night before. You could even take the time to try different clothes so you can hit the perfect note. That way, come morning, you’ll be ready to go and there will be no need to waste any time.

2. Plan your day (fast)

Taking the time to plan your day the evening before can give you a fantastic boost the following day. You can just have a rough idea of what you want to accomplish the next day that you can develop and refine in the morning. You could use the Ivy Lee Productivity System to do this. That will make your morning planning session go much smoother.

You could look at your weekly overview and use it to plan specific to-dos for the day ahead and set some useful reminders. You can then cross off those tasks as you work through them.

3. Tidy up

Imagine this. You’ve just woken up, silenced your alarm clock, and dragged yourself out of bed. You take a shower and head downstairs… and the first thing you see is a sink full of dirty dishes. Disheartening, right? Seeing jobs that you must do can demotivate you and put you in a bad mood. As we know, happier people are more productive. 

Tidy up the night before to make sure you start the day in a good mood and still feel ready to face the day. It can be as simple as putting aside half an hour the night before to have a short clean-up session.

Here’s one way to simplify the task if it feels daunting.          

Set a timer for ten minutes and get cleaning. Focus on cleaning up the following:

• Your workspace.
• Any dishes in the sink.
• Your living area.

That way, you won’t be confronted by an unholy mess in the morning. You might even be amazed by just how much you can do in ten minutes. On top of the satisfaction you can get from cleaning itself, waking up to a tidy room can give you a mental boost and put you in the perfect frame of mind for the rest of the day.

Before we warn against taking work to bed, let’s see why it might be a good idea to devote a few minutes to manage your email each night.

4. Manage your email

You might have been advised night to look at your emails in the evening. But it might not be realistic to expect some people not to check their emails at night. Instead, work out a time to manage your inbox that works for you. Put aside some time when you get home from work to deal with any messages that must be addressed.

Remember to unplug when you’re finished so that you have a chance to wind down. That way, you won’t face an overflowing inbox come morning.

Next, we’ll discover why it’s vital not to take work to bed.

5. Don’t take work to bed

If you take work to bed, your brain will not associate your bedroom as a place of rest and relaxation. This may make it difficult to relax and sleep at night, as we know without getting the right amount of good quality sleep, you will not be able to perform at your best.

6. Meditate for a short while

Try a 10-minute meditation if you want to reach peak performance. Read our post on meditation for more.

A 2013 study found that people who practice mindfulness for just a fortnight performed better in memory tests and could focus more easily than those who did not. Set a timer and give it a go. This will also help you prepare yourself for sleep.

7. Give yourself time to unwind

Having a little routine that helps you unwind each night can help you get off to a good start the following day. This can include:

• Taking a relaxing shower.
• Taking off your make-up.
• Reading a good book for a while. It is better if you can read a physical book because exposure to blue light from screens can affect the quality of your sleep because it will make you more engaged and alert.

8. Be consistent with your routine each night

Once you have a set routine, follow it consistently every night. Go to sleep at the same time each night and aim to get at least 7 hours of good quality sleep. Soon enough, your body will get used to the new sleep schedule. If you do the same set of activities every night, your brain will get the message that you are winding down and will start to power down.

9. If you are restless and can’t sleep, get out of bed

Getting out of bed for 15 minutes if you feel stressed can be beneficial. That way, rather than tossing and turning, you can do something relaxing until you become sleepy again. Your brain must become accustomed to associating the bed with sleep rather than stress. When you return to bed, you might find it easier to sleep.

10. Set alarms

If you hope to have a successful morning it is crucial to set thoughtful alarms. Alarms are of much more use than just helping you wake in the morning.

Here’s how setting intentional alarms can work for you.

• Set the alarm for 15 mins before you need to rise. This gives you extra time to enjoy breakfast, deal with unforeseen problems, and prepare for the day ahead. You can then head to work free from stress and ready to take on the day.
• Don’t set harsh alarms, instead try to wake up to your favourite song. The best begin gently and transition into something more upbeat to help get you pumped up for the coming day.
• You can set alarms on your phone throughout the day that allow you a little leeway so you can get organised and minimise the stress you experience and be more productive as a result.

Wrapping Up

Now you know that following a productive night-time routine can help set you up well for the next day and help you operate at peak performance, why not try out some of the items on this list to see if they work for you?

Soon, you will have created a superb productive evening routine that will help ensure you can tackle anything the day might hold and outperform all your competition.

Already have a fantastic evening routine? Let us know about it in the comments below.