Have you heard people rave about Routines? And how having a morning routine and a night routine has *literally* changed their lives? Or have you ever wondered how much of a difference can having a night routine make in your life?
Do you want to have a perfect night time routine that doesn’t take that long but still does the job? I mean who has the time for a big elaborate routine every night, right? I have seen people have 10 step skin care routine in the night and as much as I’d love it, I just don’t have the time for it. I am quite busy throughout the day and even when night time is for relaxation, I’d rather sit down with a good book.
But that’s just me. Maybe you do have the time for a 10 step skin care and a bubble bath every night. And that’s amazing. You do you. But if you are anything like me, you probably don’t have the time either. But you have been wanting a routine that you can do everyday.
Because hello, we still need some system and order in our lives. We just want it to not take 2 hours every single day.
If yes, then this post is for you. We are going over 10 things you should do before 10 P.M. for a Perfect Night routine.
Why do you need a Night Routine?
Having a night routine allows you to relax at the end of a long hectic day. We know we work hard everyday to create a life we absolutely love. And god knows we deserve that kind of relaxation every night. And sometimes, work days are just so physically and emotionally draining. And at the end of the day you feel like giving up. But then, how do you have the strength and the will to do it all over again the next day?
That’s where a Night Routine comes in.
A perfect night routine will help you wash off the day and any negative energy you may have built up throughout the day. It allows you to detach yourself from the day and see the bigger picture in life. And on some days, it allows you to say that okay it was a bad day, but it’s not a bad life.
And that’s why having a night routine is so important. You need a night routine to give yourself extra love and self care that you so desperately need and deserve too.
But other than that, a night routine also helps you prepare for the next day and get a head start so you feel more prepared to tackle the next day. It does the job of energising you and re-aligning your focus on your goals. It helps you to go after your goals with much more enthusiasm the next day, no matter how your previous day was.
SAVE FOR LATER!!
What does a Perfect Night Routine look like?
Ah, I wish I had this answer. There is no one perfect night routine that will fit everyone’s life. There just isn’t and can’t be. Because we are all human and we are all different. What makes a routine perfect for me, may not be as important for you.
Like I love reading a book before I go to sleep, maybe you are nothing like that and you actually hate reading. Or maybe I suggest taking a long hot shower every night and you don’t like taking the shower but would rather soak in a tub instead.
Because we are different people, you and I. But, there are some things that I think anyone can benefit from. And that’s what I include in this “10 things to do before 10 P.M” for an ideal night routine. Doing these 10 things every night will help you feel more prepared for the next day and give you a head start. But I have also included some things that will help you relax.
So here is everything that you “could” be doing:
#1:Switch off screens:
Logging off screens at least 2 hours before bedtime has been one of the life changing habits that I have adopted over the last couple of years. It sure hasn’t been an easy one to adopt because I think our motor senses are so used to reaching out for our phones every 10 minutes. And we keep feeling this urge to check on social media every few minutes or scrolling mindlessly before going to sleep.
And if it’s not our phones, it’s TV screens. Binging on Netflix shows for hours before going to sleep has never done any good and I am glad I quit that bad habit. Now, I am not against watching Netflix for some down time, I really am not. I just think it’s best of you do that a little earlier in the evening rather than watching till you are half asleep on the couch.
Switching off all the screens at least 2 hours before going to bed also helps you improve your sleep quality. Because all these screens emit blue light radiations that mess with our sleep cycles.
Before you ask, but what do I do for 2 hours if I am not to use my phone or watch TV?
Well, there is so much you can do. And rather you’d find yourself doing things that actually make your life easier. In fact the rest of the items on this list could be on your night time routine.
#2:Journal:
Journalling is super under-rated. And if you haven’t tried journalling yet, you need to give it a go. And if you feel like you have no clue what to write, just let your thoughts flow and give yourself the freedom to write whatever comes to your mind.
I find journalling at the end of the day very meditative and it helps me take off the stress of the day. Journalling helps me understand my day better and I usually write about how I felt throughout the day and how could it have been better.
If you are not used to journalling, you could also try some night time prompts to journal at the end of the day. I like doing so because it helps me organise my thoughts and understand my feelings and emotions in a better way. While journalling I can see how I reacted to certain situations throughout the day and it helps me understand myself as a person. I also always take this time to ask myself if there is something I’d like to change about the day.
Maybe I reacted to a certain situation in a certain way and in the future I’d like to be more clam and have a different reaction. It serves me well because it helps me understand why I reacted the way I did and how can I do better in the future.
#3: PREPARE BREAKFAST:
I always like to get a head start on the next morning’s breakfast before I go to bed. And I think it makes such a difference because you don’t have to spend a lot of time in the morning in preparing your breakfast. I mean who has the time anyway?
And having a healthy and nourishing breakfast is super important too. It’s important to fuel your body with the right foods to keep your energy levels up throughout the day. It helps you feel more productive and get more done during the day.
And it doesn’t have to take that long in the evenings as well. I usually prepare things like overnight oats, or cut up fruits and veggies and add to a ziploc bag to freeze for smoothies in the mornings. All I need to do in the morning is blend it all up or add fruits and granola to top my oats and I am good to go.
Then there are days when I just want to have a toast and eggs and that doesn’t take that long to prepare. But I always give it a thought the night before so that I can do any prep if I have to.
It’s also usually the time when I will soak and beans (kidney beans or chickpeas) if I have to make them for lunch or dinner the next day. I find that soaking them overnight helps them cook faster and creamier.
Of course this is all really easy with the weekly meal planning because I already know what I have to make the next day and I can be prepared.
RELATED: MY Productive 5 AM Morning Routine that changed my life
#4: Do your dishes:
I know it doesn’t sound like a very relaxing thing to do after work, but it sure is quite a rewarding one. Walking into a clean kitchen in the morning is such a mood booster and will in fact inspire you to eat healthier and have more home cooked meals.
Not having to do dishes in the morning is such a big relief too. So make it a habit to never leave dirty dishes in the kitchen sink.
Tell yourself that it will just create more pressure and add to your already long list of things to do in the morning. And the last thing you want to be doing in the morning when you are already pressed for time is worry about dishes.
So, make it a habit to do your dishes every night. It doesn’t even have to take that long if you’re making one pot meals (And sometimes eating right from the pot itself , No judgements here!)
#5: Declutter and a quick clean:
I love giving the entire apartment a quick 15-20 minute declutter and clean before coming to the bedroom to get the rest of the night routine done. I love waking up in the mornings to a fresh clutter free and clean space. Of course it doesn’t always happen, but I do it on most days.
It is even more important if you have kids and you want the house to not look like it was hit by a tornado in the morning. Doing a quick tidy and declutter before going to bed will help you make sure that your house looks orderly the next morning. And we all know we can use that in the mornings.
Related:
- 20 tips to declutter your clothes this weekend
- How to declutter and spring clean your house
- 20 reasons why you house looks cluttered and what to do about it
#6: Have a relaxing shower/Bath:
Having a relaxing long shower or bath, whatever you prefer, is again super under-rated. I love taking slightly warm showers at the end of the day and it just melts away any tiredness or muscle soreness I have built up during the day. It also helps me relax and gives me the time to calm and collect my thoughts at the end of the day.
I love how taking a shower sort of washes away the day. And taking a shower or a bath at the end of the day also helps me sleep better.
There is honestly nothing better than taking a long shower and then getting into your comfy PJs and getting into bed.
#7: Plan out next day:
Planning out the next day and jotting down your to-dos for the next day will help you be prepared to tackle the next day and get more done. Because when you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. So knowing what’s on your to-do list really helps.
Because this way you can simply get started with work, after your morning routine and you do not end up procrastinating for hours because you don’t know what you need to get done.
I know you have had days where you’ve woken up early to get things done but have spent hours scrolling through social media instead. And that’s simply because you didn’t have a to-do list. So you picked up your phone and that was it.
I would also like to suggest that you make your to-do list in a planner/ journal, instead of on your phone. That way you can look at it in the morning without having to pick up your phone and you’d able to save that time you would’ve spent scrolling mindlessly.
I always make one in my planner and also mark my top 3 priorities for the day. Having the priorities marked out tells me that I need to get those tasks done first. And if I don’t get everything else done (because sometimes life gets in the way), that’s okay.
RELATED: How to plan for a productive week
#8:Lay out clothes: work and gym
This is going to sound like we are back in school, but listen, okay? Laying out your clothes for the next day is such a good habit to have. I remember doing this back when I was in school and I’d lay out my uniform and my polished shoes and it would make getting ready in the morning so much easier and quicker. So why not do that, now as adults as well?
It will save you a lot of time and energy in the mornings. I mean, we have all found ourselves standing in front of our closets, trying to figure out what to wear to work. And then trying on different outfits and just throwing something on at the last minute because you’re already late for work. And that makes you look not as put together as you’d like to be.
I hate having to rush in the mornings and missing on breakfast too. So now, I always make sure to lay out my work clothes the night before.
I also always lay out gym clothes so that I don’t feel lazy in the mornings. Laying out gym clothes the night before motivates me to workout in the mornings.
#9: Skin Care:
Your skin needs a little pamper session before going to bed. Especially if you wear a lot of makeup on the daily. And even if you don’t , you need to have a skin care routine in place before going to bed. And it doesn’t have to be something super fancy and has 10 steps. Even a basic, cleanse and hydrate routine will also do.
Something is better than nothing right? Just make sure that whatever products you are using, are toxins free and are also super light on your skin. So nothing that clogs your pores and doesn’t let your skin breathe.
And if on some nights, you do end up missing doing the skin care routine, then make sure to at least remove your makeup before bed. I know I have had some nights when I didn’t, that’s okay. But you need to adopt this habit right now. And it doesn’t matter how much or how little makeup you wear, you still need to remove it.
#10: Do Something you really enjoy doing:
And lastly, do something you really enjoy doing. It could anything like reading, listening to an audio book or listening to music. Just make sure it’s something that helps you relax before going to bed.
I always get in my bed with a cup of any herbal tea and a book I am reading at the moment. And I usually read for about 30 minutes while having my tea.
It is like a perfect end to an otherwise long day and it helps me calm my thoughts and helps me sleep better too. It could be something super meditative too like colouring books for adults or meditating literally.
I find guided meditations to be really helpful when you’re just getting started with meditation. So why not give that a try?Anything that’s not your phone or Netflix, okay?
And that’s it. 10 things to do before 10 P.M that will make for a perfect night routine. These things will help you feel more ready and organised for the next day. Of course there is no single routine that fits everyone’s lifestyle and you need to figure out a routine that suits you the best. But you do really need a routine, that’s for sure. And even if feel like you don’t, you just need to give it a try and it will change your life. And you will see how much of a difference it makes in your life.
See you in the next one! 🙂
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