10 Things That Successful People Do Before They Go to Sleep
Most people are obsessed with learning the secret of how successful people live; what they do in the morning, how they go about their days and what they do before going to sleep.
If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you have decided to improve the quality of your life. You have likely started working on your morning habits, but, morning is not the only important part of the day.
To be successful in life you should go beyond the morning culture, and seriously consider your habits during the whole day, and even before bed.
Successful people understand this, which is why they give equal importance to their morning and nighttime habits. And it may just be that you are not giving the same importance to your nocturnal habits.
If your goal is to become a successful person and improve your quality of life, you will have to pay more attention to this part of the day as well.
Consider the following:
The habits you have at night directly affect the quality of your sleep and the mood when you wake up. This becomes the basis of your entire day.
When we talk about the nocturnal routine we refer to the things that you should do two hours before going to sleep. Changing your habits will have an effect on your productivity, energy level, mood, and motivation.
A good morning routine begins one or two hours before going to sleep the day before!
1. Go for a walk
Going for a walk at night can help you forget your work day and make you think about different things. Use this time to be silent, with no distractions, emptying your mind and recharging yourself with energy.
2. Evaluate your day
Every night, Benjamin Franklin took the time to make an evaluation of his day. This exercise helped him stay focused on his work and allowed him to make the necessary corrections when he felt he was not moving forward.
This habit only requires 5–10 minutes and allows you to evaluate your work day and control the fulfillment of your goals, tasks, and commitments.
3. Read
Many people usually read a book or magazine just before going to sleep, since it’s a very good way to end your day.
Reading can help you with many things, even to fall asleep if you have trouble with that.
The best thing about this habit is that it opens the door for you to learn new things; depending on the book you choose you can be inspired, acquire new knowledge or get immersed into great stories that will change the way you see life.
4. Meditate
Meditation is a good practice to include in your morning routine, but doing it twice a day will have unimaginable effects on your productivity.
So, take just a few minutes and sit quietly. Let your thoughts flow naturally — do not focus on or block any of them — just let them flow.
Once you do, you should leave them behind. You need to empty your mind of regrets, worries and a negative mentality. This is the only way to have a pleasant night and a productive next day.
5. Disconnect yourself
Turn everything off; all you need is your alarm. A good nighttime routine aims to help you sleep pleasantly, and this means not having notifications, sounds or lights interrupt you.
6. Affirmations
Mornings are not the only time of the day when your mind is susceptible; just before you go to sleep is also the perfect opportunity to repeat your mantras.
These positive affirmations (which you can say out loud while standing in front of a mirror for better results) will stay within your mind once you fall asleep, which will affect your confidence, strengthen your goals and principles, and keep you focused on them.
So, before you go to sleep, let yourself know that you can achieve whatever you’ve set out to do; that each day you go to work, you’re working towards your dreams; that you will not allow anyone to get in the way of your goals, not even yourself.
7. Keep a journal
A blank piece of paper can be a great way to vent and let go of thoughts that limit your mind. You can write about what bothers you, analyze the most important things of your day and ways they affected you.
This journal can be as deep and meaningful as you want; you can write great ideas or just simple comments that come to mind. You can set goals, confess weaknesses or give a written touch to your dreams.
8. Plan the next day
This is a quick and simple thing that most successful people do. It helps them prepare for the next day because they already know what they have to do as soon as they get up, not losing valuable time to come up with the day’s plans.
Reserve a few minutes of your night to make a list of all pending activities, from the most important and difficult to the simplest and least pressing ones.
When your alarm sounds you will already know what you have to do. The recommendation is that you focus on the most difficult tasks at the beginning of the day; this way you can devote your mental energy to the most important things.
9. MIA (Most Important Activities)
Once you make the list with all your pending tasks, define what the three most important things on it are.
These activities must be urgent, related to your goals. You should want to fulfill them and they will affect you personally and professionally.
Now try to split them into small activities; pinpoint what you should do first and find a way to do that in the simplest and easiest way. This strategy will prevent you from having excuses and will make it easier for you to do what is truly important.
10. Say your thanks
Now that the day is over, and you in bed resting, take a moment to be thankful for everything you have and have achieved.
Think about all the opportunities you’ve had, the people you’ve met, the work you’ve got and the goals you’ve accomplished, the delicious food you had at your table and your good health… with all this, you’re very lucky.
After completing this 10-step routine, you will be ready to face the new day, as you’ll already have what it takes to be more successful than yesterday, and improve the quality of your life. This is what successful people do before they go to sleep, and you can do it too.
