If you talk to successful business leaders about how they get everything done, almost every one of them will tell you that they have an elaborate morning routine. They spend the morning prioritizing the day, meditating, exercising, and eating a healthy breakfast so that they’re ready to get to work. But if you’re not a morning person, all this can sound like torture. So how can you get your mornings on track?

As it turns out, the secret to a productive morning has as much to do with what happens the night before as what you do when you wake up, which is why you need to revamp your bedtime routine if you want to make your mornings magic.

These three habits can help you get to bed so that you wake up feeling ready to take on anything that comes your way.

Get Offline

One of the leading reasons so many modern Americans have insomnia is that we spend a lot of time staring at screens. The blue light from computer screens alters our natural body clock and changes normal melatonin production patterns, fooling our brains into staying awake. By unplugging a few hours before bed, you have an opportunity to step away from work, spend some time with family, do relaxing activities, and allow your brain to reset so that you’ll ease off to sleep.

Put An End To Procrastination

Kids have bedtimes, but what about adults? Even though we may not have anyone telling us we have to get in bed and turn off the lights, most of us know when we should go to bed. The problem is that we don’t give in – we procrastinate. We watch one more episode on Netflix, decide we need a snack, or check our email.

If you want to stop procrastinating at bedtime, the only solution may be to treat yourself like a child. Set yourself a bedtime and build a schedule leading up to it. If you lay out a plan that says you need to turn off your computer and take a shower, so that you can go to bed at 10 PM, then you’re more likely to follow through and complete each task. And most importantly, you won’t miss out on hours of sleep by playing phone games or eating cookies.

Set Up For Success

Mornings can turn any home from cozy to chaotic in just a few minutes, simply because we’re bad at making decisions in the morning and tend to scramble to get everything done. That’s why you should get everything prepared before bed for a simpler morning routine. Are you trying to save money by making your own coffee but keep oversleeping and buying coffee on the way to work instead? Set up your coffee pot the night before and put it on a timer so that it’s made and waiting for you, even on hurried days. The same applies to lunch. Pack it after dinner and grab it as you leave.

Another thing you can prep the night before is your outfit for the next day. Just check the weather and lay out an outfit so that you don’t have to decide what to wear in the morning. If the forecast calls for rain, place your umbrella by the door so you don’t have to dig around for it. You know exactly what tasks are slowing you down; it’s just a matter of taking steps to prevent repeating that pattern.

Just because your mornings are a rush right now doesn’t mean they can’t be productive – or at least easy, and it all starts with a good night’s sleep. Once you put your evenings in order, you’ll find that you can start the day stress-free and focused.

Categories: General