Having a night time routine is crucial when it comes to organisation and productivity. How? Well, while it is supposed to help you unwind for the night, if done correctly it can prepare you for the next day too.
The following routines/ schedules are one’s that I think are essential when it comes to running your life successfully: monthly overview, week overview, daily to-do list and morning and night time routine. With these organisation methods, you will always be ready to take on tasks and work at optimum productivity levels.
But from these organisation methods, only the morning and night time routines also act as forms of relaxation.
The primary function of morning and night routines are to help relax and prepare you; they help you set the tone of the day and refresh you so that you wake up in the morning alert and ready. This is why I would highly suggest for you to incorporate them into your daily life.
I’ve already written a post about a realistic morning routine that you can follow, as well as a post that helps you create your own unique positive affirmations to say in the morning.
In this post I will be giving you a list of night routine ideas to help you unwind and be prepared for the following day.
What’s a good night time routine & Why should you have one?
A good night time routine is one that will release you from the stresses of the day; its a zone that you enter where you feel at peace. The good thing about routines is that your brain gets used to them.
So say you start your night time routine at 9pm every night; your brain will soon automatically enter a state of calm around that time as it is used to you doing your night routine at that time.
A night time routine is also good when you can use it to prepare yourself for the following days. If you’re just starting out and still haven’t got a hang of following through with your routine every night, I would say just try to do it every Sunday. This is because if you are able to get yourself prepared for the Monday, you will start off the week already organised.
If you don’t already have a Sunday routine, have a read of Sunday Routine To Prepare For A Hard Week & Skyrocket Productivity
How do you start a night time routine?
With every routine no matter what it is, you should always start slow. It doesn’t matter if you miss a few days and it doesn’t matter if you miss most of the steps. In order to get into a routine, you have to create new habits so take your time and do one thing at a time.
What should you do 2 hours before bed?
Now, let’s get into the night routine checklist so you can have some ideas of what to do and what not to do in your routine!
1. Remove your make up and do your skin care
The best night time routine for skin is one where you take care of it now so that can you can reap the benefits of it years later.
Always, Always, ALWAYS remove your make up before you go to bed. And I’m not talking about a little swipe of a wipe, I’m talking about make up removal then double cleansing. I get it it if you’re busy, but this is the point that I will emphasize for you to begin right NOW. And even if it takes time, girl just work on it.
Even if you don’t have a full skincare night routine, start off with keeping your skin clean. And if you haven’t worn any make up but have been out for the whole day, still wash your face with a cleanser (because of the many pollutants in the air that come into direct contact with your skin).
2. Hair care
This is a really simple step but can help grow, thicken and strengthen your hair over time.
Every night, take the time to brush through your hair and remove any knots, massage some oil into your scalp for a few minutes (rosemary oil is amazing for hair growth but make sure you dilute it in a carrier oil – comment below if you want to know more!) and leave it out for the rest of the night. If you have work the next day, only apply oil on the nights when you know you’re going to wash your hair the next morning.
That’s it. The main thing here is the oil; applying oils to your scalp and hair can do wonders for your it!
I’m not mentioning for you to do any hair masks or deep conditioning because its not realistic to do it every night/ most nights. So use those three simple steps above and watch how your hair grows!
3. Take a bath
Try and have a day of the week where you always allow yourself to have a relaxing bath. This is the time you can do your more extensive self care routine.
Put some candles on, get out your bath bombs and salts and dig into your favourite book. (I’m feeling calm just by thinking about that).
4. Do something that relaxes you
This can be as simple as putting a movie on until you get tired and want to go to bed. I would suggest for you to do this last so that you use your energy first to organise the following day.
During the winter months, try adopting a hygge lifestyle focussed on relaxation and comfort. This post How A Hygge Lifestyle Is Your Cure To Stress will give you some ideas on how to stay present and enjoy everyday life.
5. Tidy up
Every night before you go to bed, get into the routine of tidying up for 10 minutes. In this short amount of time you will able to get so much done and prevent yourself from having to spend an entire weekend tidying up.
6. Write a to-do list for tomorrow & prepare for it
This is where the night time routine will benefit you in the future. Quickly jot down a to-do list of the things you need to complete tomorrow and prepare what you will need.
This includes getting your clothes ready, preparing your bag, putting out your gym clothes etc. This simple 10 minute step will actually save you so much time on the following day and will also limit feelings of anxiety because you know everything’s ready for you to get started with the day.
And that’s it! That’s the organisation part of the routine done, now you can enjoy the rest of the night. 🙂
7. Get your bedroom ready
Put your pillows in the specific way you like it on your bed, light some candles, put your diffuser on and get comfortable. When you’re tidying up, make sure you bedroom is tidy first and then move onto the rest of the rooms.
Getting comfortable in a messy room is not the best feeling, so make sure your room is tidy and clean so that you can relax.
Related:
How To Do Home Décor With Plants To Improve Mental Health
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8. Read a book/ journal
Take this part of the night to read a few chapters of your current book. Unwind from this world and enter a new world where your stresses are gone.
But before this do some quick journaling. Use this moment to do a brain dump and write about whatever you want. A really productive way of using journaling is to use it to find solutions to your problems.
Most common methods of journaling involve you just writing your feelings so that you can let it all go, but if you write down your feelings and then find solutions to any negative events or feelings you had throughout the day it is a much more fulfilling experience.
If you want some journal prompts (for the entire month), as well as a five minute daily journal prompt sheet of questions download the free Mini Life Planner to get 11 pages of goodness to help you out.
Also, try out the 18-week journal prompts for self love challenge. Not only will you find questions to answer but also actual steps to take throughout the week to transform your words into actions.
Related:
Books To Read In Your 20’s To Be More Aware Of The World
Find Out Which Studio Ghibli Film Is Perfect For You!
9. No digital devices allowed
If you find it hard to fall asleep, stop using digital devices just before you go to bed as the blue light emitted from the screen makes it harder for you to sleep and wake up.
For those of you who don’t feel this way (and can sleep fine after using your phone), I would still suggest for you to reduce you digital time before you go to bed.
In most cases we’re just scrolling on social media, and filling our head with pictures of other people and their lives before we sleep isn’t the best thing.
During the night time routine, focus just on you.
10. Have a cup of tea
While you’re reading your book (or watching your movie), have a nice cup of chamomile or lavender tea to get yourself into the sleepy mood.
Other teas that help induce sleep include passionflower and lemon balm tea.
11. Do some stretches before you sleep
Stretching before you sleep can help your body with aches and pains the following day as it helps your body rejuvenate itself throughout the night.
If you suffer with body pain, try out some different stretches before you go to bed and see if it helps over time.
The benefits of a night time routine is that it ultimately allows you to make meaningful use of your time.
But the problem with routines is that they can get boring over time so try different things out and once you get bored of it do something else. The routine should mostly stay the same but swapping out some steps for others may make it more interesting.
Say for example, you’d rather read your book in the morning instead of in the evening. Just swap the time you would have spent reading at night with something else you want to do (like watching a documentary episode or doing some art).
Before you go, be sure to download the Mini Life Planner. It’s packed with ideas on self-love, confidence, productivity and organisation and its all free!
