This Nighttime Routine Checklist Will Change Your Life
The only reason you need to have a nighttime routine checklist: it will improve your life.
Pretty convincing, huh?
If you want to feel better at night, make better decisions, not feel guilty about bad nightly choices, wake up feeling refreshed, fall asleep faster, feel calmer, and more disciplined, gain invaluable insights into your life and how your days are going, read more, sleep deeper, then you might want to keep reading.
People consume a lot at night. Or more accurately, night consumes a lot of people.
Whether it is food, Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/Disney/Sling/Pluto/Apple/Paramount (you get my point) shows, movies, YouTube, social media, T.V., video games — whatever it is, the attraction to distract ourselves gets stronger at night for many, if not all of us.
None of those things are horrible. Not at all.
But done consistently over time, they are.
Here’s the deal: we all have habits, whether we know it or not. The things you do in the morning from brushing your teeth to how and when you shower, when you eat, how you eat, that funny thing you do when you are nervous, or the way you look when you are distracted. All the things that make you, you, are habits.
We are walking, talking habits.
The most amazing thing is, you can actually design and choose the exact habits you want in your life.
Cool, right?
And that is how you change your life.
Of course, this takes a tremendous amount of time and effort, but we are talking about changing your life here, so, yeah, it won’t be easy.
Why do so many of us want just one more episode, YouTube video, or show at night?
Quite simply, we are tired.
Our willpower has faded. Our decision-making prowess is all but shot. What’s easy feels good. And what feels good is easy. And generally, it is good. Who doesn’t love a great show, movie, or some tasty late-night treats?
Distractions are a great way to unwind. To relax. To enjoy some things that you enjoy.
But…
The problem is that, for many people, it happens every. single. night. And it happens in excess.
You don’t need to go and cancel all of your subscriptions, throw out all the chips, and chuck your phone out the window right now. You just need some new nighttime habits for yourself.
Enter, the Nighttime Routine Checklist: a series of steps you follow each night that make your life, and the people’s lives around you, better.
In fact, not many people talk about having a nighttime routine, and it might just be as important, if not more important than having a life-changing morning routine.
Why?
Because, if you are staying up later mindlessly consuming, you just simply won’t be as refreshed and productive in the morning, or worse, you won’t get up when you say you are going to wake up. And that’s not good.
I came across the idea of having a nighttime routine a few times on my self-improvement journey, but the information was limited. The majority of the noise is centered on the perfect morning routine, and while I know that it is necessary to have a morning routine that you love and that sets you up for the day, it is becoming glaringly obvious how few people have a nighttime routine that sets themselves up to smash that morning routine that is only eight hours away.
So let’s go smash some shit.
The Nighttime Routine Checklist
It always feels a tinge strange to share my routine, but the more I share content, the more people ask. I clearly remember when I was just starting, all I wanted was the exact steps that someone was using so it would make things easier and give me a place to start. But that’s the thing: this is just a place for you to start. These things work. For me. And my routine will change over time. These things might work for you, but the key is to experiment. To try. To play. You want to figure out what works for you and then stick to it. Because after all, you are changing your life, and that’s worth sticking to.
Let me just get one thing out of the way now: I don’t watch T.V. Rarely. That isn’t some weird flex. I used to watch TV a lot. I’m not on some crusade to end mindless consumption, but if I were, I’d probably start there. TV/shows stole a lot of my life away, and I let it happen. My bad.
I tell you this, maybe because I want you to question how much time you spend either watching TV or scrolling on social media and just ask yourself if you are happy that you are doing that. Will you look back someday and be glad you binge-watched that entire show or scrolled just a little longer on social media?
I’m not so sure, but only you know the answer to that.
Maybe this is my attempt to say that one hour before bed you should make a conscious decision to turn off your T.V./shows and get off your phone.
Or maybe it’s just me, talking to the old me, asking him to stop wasting his life. It’s probably that.
Step 1: Dim the Lights in the Evening
I turn off the main lights wherever I am. It is just a general habit now of dimming the lights as the sun drops in the evening. It’s peaceful. It seems to set the sleep process in motion. It’s a vibe.
Step 2: Blue-blocker Glasses
I still do some work on my computer in the evening, so I got some cheap blue-light-blocking glasses. I won’t even provide a link to get any here, because I really doubt that they work. I’ve noticed that when I forget to put them on at night, nothing changes. I still fall asleep immediately. Because having a routine matters, not some glasses. Let’s call it a placebo.
Step 3: 30 Minutes – 1 Hour Before Bed Start a “Shutdown Routine”
In his book, Deep Work, Cal Newport describes his shutdown routine:
You should have a strict shutdown ritual that you use at the end of the workday to maximize the probability that you succeed. In more detail, this ritual should ensure that every incomplete task, goal, or project has been reviewed and that for each you have confirmed that either (1) you have a plan you trust for its completion, or (2) it’s captured in a place where it will be revisited when the time is right. The process should be an algorithm: a series of steps you always conduct, one after another. When you’re done, have a set phrase you say that indicates completion (to end my own ritual, I say, “Shutdown complete”). This final step sounds cheesy, but it provides a simple cue to your mind that it’s safe to release work-related thoughts for the rest of the day.
Although I don’t necessarily use a shutdown routine to signify the end of my workday the way he does, I use it to shut down my actual day. Or more accurately, to initiate my nighttime routine. My shutdown routine is this, right here: my nighttime routine checklist.
And I haven’t quite remembered (Re: gotten the courage) to audibly say “Shutdown complete” or “Commence Nighttime Routine” but I’m working on it.
Step 4: Stop Working or Doing Whatever It Is on Any Device or Screen
This is the one. You need to pull yourself away from your screen or put down your phone. You have to.
I’m not sure what else to tell you other than this is the hardest part, but future you will be glad that you did.
Most people just go straight from the screen to the pillow. Or look at the screen while on the pillow. And that just isn’t helping anyone anywhere get a better, deeper sleep.
It is hard to “just stop” and get ready for bed. To stop watching TV or put your phone away. Even knowing that a good night’s sleep will be worth every minute, we still struggle to remember that. I know I do.
Step 5: No Devices! (Maybe Kindle. Maybe)
Well, you already know. I just told you above. But it needs reiterating. Turn off the TV, put down the phone, and just walk away.
Walk away.
If you haven’t noticed, Steps 3, 4, and 5 are pretty much the same: simply, it’s about ending the day and the chaos and the thinking and stepping away from the tech. Simple but not easy.
Step 6: 2–3 Minute Review of the Day
This one has been massive for me. It is hard to imagine how much information you can extract from your life by just a few minutes of daily reflection, but the insights are mind-boggling.
After I turn off the tech, I get out my notebook that I use for the Bullet Journal (or here’s a smaller, cheaper option). In each “Daily Log,” I quickly jot down notes on these three questions:
- What small change could I make to do better?
- What was great about today?
- What must I do tomorrow?
The first question will provide you with life-changing information. It has for me. It is so simple yet profound — you are reflecting on a tiny change that you can make by reflecting on your day each night. Reflecting on small changes for one minute each night is so effective because you aren’t trying to recall what you need to change from memory by doing it at some random times during the week, month, or maybe not at all. Instead, you reflect daily. Then, at the end of each week, review these, and you will know exactly what you need to change in your life.
The second question is just about gratitude. About focusing on what you did well each and every day. Most of us spend our days focusing on all the things that went wrong each day or that we did horribly. Instead, try ending your day with something that was incredible that day. Believe it or not, there is always something.
Question three is a primer for the next day. It simply allows you space to get out of your head and onto paper the 1–2 most important things that you need to get done the next day. Do not list a million things. 1–2 is fine. And this allows your brain to go to work on what is important while you sleep.
I used to write down the 1–2 most important things on a post-it and slap it on the bathroom mirror so I would see it when I woke up. Maybe that will work for you if you need the reminder.
Step 7: 2–3 Minute Next-day Plan (Block Scheduling)
You need to plan your time. Simple as that. If you don’t you will lose all the time that you don’t plan.
Even if you work a 9–5, plan the rest of your time. It sounds ludicrous at first, but if you want to “spend your time wisely” then you need to budget it.
I’ve heard my entire life that “time flies”.
It doesn’t.
You just need to plan your days, hours, and minutes, and time won’t be flying anywhere.
Block scheduling has worked wonders for me. It is simply sectioning your day into “blocks”.
Mine looks like this:
- Morning Routine (5 am – 7 am)
- Write Nighttime Routine Post (7 am – 9 am)
- Content and Marketing (9 am – 12 am)
- You get the idea…
Write it in your journal, on a block-scheduling template (they are everywhere on the internet), or on an online calendar like Google Calendar.
Whatever you choose, schedule your time.
Estimating the time it will take you to complete each task will also initiate Parkinson’s Law, which states that a task or activity will expand to fill the time that is allotted for it. If you give yourself a week to finish painting a room, it will take a week. If you give yourself three hours, it will take three hours.
And be realistic with your time allocation. Things tend to take longer than we think they will.
When you block out the time for a specific task, do the task that you said you were going to do at the time you said you were going to do it!
Step 8: Brush Teeth and Floss
Are there people out there who don’t brush their teeth and floss every single night?
Gross.
Step 9: Warm Shower
I cannot remember the last time I didn’t take a shower before bed unless I was traveling. It is so ingrained in my nature. I just sleep better. And it might actually help us fall asleep faster and have a deeper sleep. Which, if you don’t know by now, is pretty important.
A luxury for many is to draw a hot bath in the evening and soak the body before bedtime. We feel it helps us fall asleep more quickly, which it can, but for the opposite reason most people imagine. You do not fall asleep faster because you are toasty and warm to the core. Instead, the hot bath invites blood to the surface of your skin, giving you that flushed appearance. When you get out of the bath, those dilated blood vessels on the surface quickly help radiate out inner heat, and your core body temperature plummets. Consequently, you fall asleep more quickly because your core is colder. Hot baths prior to bed can also induce 10 to 15 percent more deep NREM sleep in healthy adults.
Matthew Walker. Why We Sleep
Step 10: Meditate (Not in Bed)
This is the real “cool down” step. If you can do just one, out of all the other steps, do this one — you will feel and sleep better.
Even if you can’t dim the lights, step away from the tech, self-reflect, or plan your following day, meditating for just a few minutes before you sleep would be profound.
We are all so “busy” all day. Right up until the moment our head hits the pillow. So, leaving ourselves 5, 10, or even 20 minutes to just chill. the fuck. out. is worth it.
I’ve mentioned in my Morning Routine Post, that I’ve used apps like Headspace and Calm, and those are great. People love them.
I personally just like to sit and “see” what has been going on in my head all day. I’ll either do 20 minutes of TM or 20 minutes of just “observing” my thoughts, breathing, and chilling out. Or, if I’m really tired, I’ll just do 10 minutes of the “Daily Trip” on the Calm app in bed. (I know, I know. I said not to meditate in bed, but fuck it, I’m tired. Don’t harass me.)
Step 11: Read
I read. A lot. I tend to read mostly (all) non-fiction, but I try to read some fiction when I get in bed. It is a perfect way to wrap up the day. The only problem I’ve found is that a good storyline can really draw you in. But sleep usually wins in the end.
I fucking love my Kindle. The thing is amazing. Truly. Hundreds, thousands of books, instantly, just in your hand. Anywhere. Anytime. Plus, the “warmth” setting for nighttime reading on it makes it completely worth it.
Reading at night on my Kindle feels like home. Even when I’m already at home.
Getting a Kindle has increased my reading by 1,474%. (I have no idea if that’s an accurate increase in percentage. I made it up. It sounded cool. All I know is that I have read a lot more because of it. Especially fiction.)
It is simple. Non-intrusive. Easy. Mobile. I don’t know what to say. If you want to read more, get one. Obviously.
Here’s the Kindle Paperwhite
I personally use the Kindle Oasis and love the thing. It is more expensive, although I got it during a Black Friday sale and it was cheaper than the regular Paperwhite price, which I would have gladly paid, knowing the benefits now.
Step 12: Sleep Cool and Dark
Keeping your room temperature around 18.3°C (65°F) is said to be ideal as it helps your core body temperature drop, helping you fall asleep faster, and perhaps, sleep more deeply.
I’m sure there are some people out there who meticulously check the air temperature in their room before they sleep. I don’t worry about that. And you shouldn’t either. Just keep it cool enough to where you are comfortable. Then go to sleep. Easy.
Here are several things I would have been afraid to admit not too long ago. Now, they are just things that make my sleep, and life, that much better.
wear an eye mask
I’ve tried a few. Find one that works for you and your sleep style. As a side sleeper, I look for something not too bulky.
The Waoaw sleep mask is my favorite
The Alaska Bear silk sleep mask is, well, silk. So, you can guess how cozy it is.
The cotton sleep mask took some time to get used to, but it really grew on me. Now I have two (it has a little thing you can conform to the bridge of your nose that works great to shut out all the light).
Here’s a popular sleep mask on Amazon. I tried it. A little bulky. Not my fav.
use a sunrise alarm clock
If you want to see me go even crazier on a more life-changing device than the Kindle, then the sunrise alarm clock would be it.
Waking up at 5 am in the dark is not possible. This little clock lights up the room when it is time to wake up. It has made waking up at 5 am, thus changing everything about my life, possible. Mind-blowing.
Okay, let’s talk sleep affirmations
This one is super new-agey, I’ll admit it, even for me.
Never in my life would I have thought to do this. But, I’ve been trying things because I’ve found that when I try things and not just immediately turn them down, I actually find things I like. Go figure.
I got a sleep headband on Amazon.
This Bluetooth sleep mask combines a sleep mask with Bluetooth headphones which is pretty cool.
And I listened to sleep affirmations.
What can I say? I tried everything.
I think it worked.
Maybe. I felt pretty awesome.
But I’ve been at this self-improvement thing for a while now, and have done a bunch of different things, so I’m not entirely sure it was specifically the sleep affirmations.
Maybe they will work for you.
Sleep affirmations are definitely worth a try.
What do you have to lose?
Here’s a self-love sleep affirmation on YouTube I used for a while. Rising Higher Meditation has a ton of these that are worth checking out. At 780,000 subscribers, a lot of people must be looking to uplift their thoughts and beliefs, so I couldn’t have been completely batshit crazy. But, the jury’s still out on that one.
I’ve recently started listening to “rainforest rain” sounds on the Calm app. Instant. Pass. Out. You’re missing out if you haven’t tried some sleep sounds. They’re worth experimenting with.
Step 13: Sleep at Least Seven Hours
You already know. If you don’t know, now you know.
Step 14: Dream Cool Shit
I take a magnesium supplement, but, and this is a Big But (I’ve always wanted to write that phrase on the internet), I still question the purity of these supplements since they aren’t regulated.1 I only take it on days when I’m sure I haven’t gotten enough magnesium from my food and I’m feeling desperate. So, rarely.
In fact, I’m pretty much over supplements at this point. I feel the inherent risks are not worth it: 1) Several studies have shown that a majority of supplements tested are “inaccurately labeled” and contain “contaminants” that are harmful,2 and 2) Supplements are “global” therapies, which means that they affect way more than just a single molecule or mechanism in the body.3 And much of the biochemistry and interactions are not fully understood at this point.
Yeah, no thanks.
Focus on getting all of your vitamins, nutrients, and life from foods. Eat healthy if you must.
Taking a Magnesium supplement might help get you the magnesium you need, which is important, but who the hell really knows what it is doing to the body overall? Do you know? If you don’t, then stick to getting what you need from a healthy diet, and always talk to your doctor when adding any supplements.
I put this under the “dream cool shit” section because, I have to admit, it seems to increase the wildness of my dreams. And, for me, that’s cool shit.
But most likely, it’s just a placebo and I’ve been lying to myself that morphing into a badass wolf-dog-king-warrior and flying through the sky swinging swords and blades of fury while saving the planet, is a “wild” dream. But maybe that’s normal. Perhaps.
The End.
So there you have it. A nighttime routine checklist you can try out for yourself to get a better night’s sleep and better days. Every day.
What about going to bed at the same time every night?
Honestly, I would let that idea go. Yes, having a sleep schedule is absolutely necessary. It is arguably the single most important thing you can do to have better sleep. However, the focus should be on waking up at the same time every day not what time to go to sleep.
Life happens. Events happen. Late nights happen. I’ve found that going to bed when you are tired, and not trying to go to bed at exactly 10 pm every single night, leads to less stress. And that’s a good thing.
Start your nighttime routine checklist when you are starting to feel sleepy. It won’t take long for your body to start telling you when that is.
Can I have sex in bed?
You’d better. And you’d better be doing it every night! No, not really. But make it a priority in your life. Obviously.
Your bed is for sleep and sex. And maybe some light reading. Don’t use it for much else. You want to train your brain to associate your bed with sleep. Your brain knows what to do if you teach it, consistently.
Stop scrolling on your phone or watching TV in bed
That’s a horrible association. And you wonder why you can’t sleep at night. Or have trouble falling asleep.
What about taping my mouth shut?
I don’t mean anything kinky. Well, not in this post at least. (Ha! Joking.)
I am a huge fan of mouth tape to help nasal breathing, from my own subjective experience. Talk to your doctor.
But studies have shown mouth breathing to be “a likely cause” of sleep disorders, as well as its possible role in ADHD.4
There isn’t a ton of research on this yet, but the importance of nasal breathing continues to poke its way into public consciousness, mainly based on a lot of positive personal experiences. Mine included.
Taping your mouth shut might not be necessary. Just try to keep your mouth shut and start breathing out of your nose more.
Breathing through your nose will not change your life magically. But, it may play a vital role in improving your overall health and quality of life.
If you’re curious to learn more, check out James Nestor’s incredible book on breathing: Breath by James Nestor. That book changed the way I look at breathing. And, obviously, how I breathe. Day and night.
I mean, we do breathe often.
It’s important to do it well.
Don’t you think?
Nite nite.
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/supplements-a-scorecard ↩︎
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35947382/ ↩︎
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27855744/ ↩︎
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4047298/ ↩︎
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