NEW THING #13:
BEDTIME ROUTINE
As much as I’m happy with my mornings, I really suck at going to bed early. And I need to get those solid 8 hrs of sleep. I really do.
Here’s the thing: I don’t have any falling asleep problems. I sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I just have getting-to-bed-in-time problems. Is that even a thing?
So I asked on my social media fans for their best tips, tricks & routines. And I got really a lot of great answers that you can read in detail on my Instagram.
Like these Bedtime Routine Tips:
I really love them and I decided to include quite a lot of them in the routine I’m going to try. However, I don’t want to overcomplicate because I know it can quickly get into serious overwhelm. So I won’t be using all of the tips just now. I’m trying to start slow and then take it from there. Does that make sense?
Here's my Bedtime Routine Thinking
- I want to be getting up 6:30-ish so my final bedtime is 10:00 PM (I’m aiming at going to bed at the same time every night)
- This means that if I finish work at 6 PM (which is not really the case now), I have 4 hrs to wrap up the day.
- I set the alarm at 5:45 to wrap up work & make a quick list of the things to deal tomorrow
- I set the alarm actually to remind me of going to sleep at 9:50
And this is my Bedtime Plan
6.00 - Cook & Eat dinner
maybe while watching 1 episode of my current fave Netflix show
7.15 - Take a walk
we do it daily
8.30 - Get Ready
Put on pajamas, grab a cup of tea, open bedroom windows to let fresh air in & do the evening bathroom routine
9.00 - Wind Down
Head to the bedroom to wind down, get in bed and read, listen to an audiobook, journal, etc. The thing is: I read books on my phone, so I turned on the Night Shift to minimize the blue light exposure. I may also be switching off Wi-Fi to avoid distractions.
10.00 - Sleep
This looks like a solid plan to try out for the next 7 days. I’m a bit scared about the rigid timings but let’s see how it works. And as usual, I invite you to join me. It’s always more fun to try new things with friends!
The Results
Okay, so this one didn’t really go as per plan. And I’ll be honest with you. Because that’s what 100 New Things To Try is all about.
It’s about all of us trying to incorporate new experiences into our lives.
It’s about having fun, learning what we like & dislike, loosening up, being true to ourselves, and being happy. It’s NOT about being perfect, serious, or pretending.
We all have too much of this already elsewhere.
Am I right?
So here I am telling you that I wasn’t following my bedtime plan to a T.
- One day I binge-watched “Last Kingdom” and went to bed 1 hr later (because season finale).
- I didn’t read my books every day.
- But one night I was reading instead of sleeping for 1 more hour.
- I also skipped more of my daily walks than ever. I don’t even have an excuse, just wasn’t feeling like it.
Was It Worth It?
So it wasn’t perfect. But it was still quite alright, I’d say.
- Setting the alarms for the end of the work day & going to sleep worked really well. It helped me to be more aware of the time.
- I finished working at 6 PM every single day.
- I cooked a healthy dinner every single day.
- And on average I was going to sleep earlier than before.
So I’ll take it as a win. And I keep working on this.
And if you don’t have a bedtime routine, I totally recommend you to try following one for a week to see where it takes you. Calculate your bedtime hour, set the alarm clocks & treat them seriously. But also do not overcomplicate & be flexible with what works for you. Because it’s not a chore. It’s not supposed to feel heavy. It’s supposed to be making your life better. Right? So don’t make it dreadful.
Oh, and as always let me know how it’s working for you!