What about successful people? What do they do at night before they sleep? Here are 10 things they do…
1. Wrap up the day
Decide that the day has ended and you will go into another phase of the day. If you work until 6 pm, make sure that you get your work done and end your day so you can focus on another part of your life. Life is short, you want to do as much as possible. So if you have promised dinner with your family, make sure you do that.
You have to allocate your time for each category well. Sleep, work and time for other activities. You already allocate most of your time to sleep and work, thus, when the clock hits 6 pm or 7 pm, just stop and spend the rest of the day doing other important activities in your life.
2. Read books
Many successful people in the world are voracious readers. They read and they learn from what others talk about. Do you know that reading and learning can shortcut your journey to success? In fact, many great people including Bill Gates, read books or articles until they feel tired and then go to bed after.
Tim Armstrong, the CEO of AOL, recently told the Guardian that he gets home around 8 pm and then reads to his daughters. “They usually win and get two or three books,” he says.
3. Spend quality time with family and friends
Yep, success starts from within. You have to spend quality time with your family and friends in order to get connected and stay connected. Some people choose to meet up with their friends every Wednesday, and the rest of the days they will just spend time with their family members. It all depends on how you allocate your time.
4. Plan and get ready for the next day
This is one of the most important things you can do before you sleep. Planning for tomorrow, writing down what you need to do and get ready for the next day to come. For instance, most people will iron their clothes and get all the relevant documents that they need to use for the next day ready before they sleep. You should do the same.
If you do this, you will wake up and know exactly what you need to do the next day. You will become more effective and more productive because you’re ready and everything is within your reach. Conversely, if you’re not ready for the next day, imagine what can go wrong. You wake up late, can’t find your clothes to iron, you forget where you put your important documents for meeting, etc. Your day will be in a mess. So always plan your coming days the night before.
5. Unplug from the world
Enough of the working world? You may want to get unplug from everything. This is especially crucial in our modern world where anyone can connect to you and distract your moment. Your phone can ring anytime if you did not turn it off. There are times where you want to get disconnected and stay away from your work. There are also times when you want to just be alone. Studies have shown that when you are alone, you are more engaged with yourself.
6. Meditation
Another great thing you may want to practice at night. Meditation is good for both your mental health and physical health. Meditation works as a recharge for your energy and get you focus in what you want. You feel deeply relaxed after the hustle and bustle of the day. Now it is time for you to stay relax for both your mind and your body. So learn to practice meditation each night before you sleep. You can start with just five to 10 minutes.
7. Envision tomorrow
One of the best ways to get ready for what’s coming is to envision it. Just like how visualization works, when you think about your perfect days, you will be more prepared and have the confidence to go through everything that comes along.
Spend at least five minutes thinking about the next day before you sleep. Envision what you will do and how you will do it. Imagine who you will talk to and how you are going to deal with it. Of course, when you envision it, you must envision everything going smooth and in perfect manner. All problems arises will be solved by you, and this is how you can really come up with a productive days.
8. Write down accomplishments for the day
What have you accomplished during the day? Some people will say none because they don’t think they are productive on the day.
When you feel grateful that you have proper lunch, proper dinner and able to get home safely and able to spend great moments with your family, you will feel deep joy within. On the other hand, if you don’t feel thankful for all that you have, you will feel stressed, pressured and insufficient. You will have the feeling of “not enough” even if you already have everything.
Therefore, write down at least three to five things that you appreciated and have accomplished during the day every night when you plan for the next day. Write down big and small successes you have done. Even if it is just a phone call, five minutes reading, etc. Write them down and practice the habit of appreciation.
9. Get things done
Will you go to the next day with unfinished work? If you know you still have one task to do but it is already night fall, would you sleep and get it done tomorrow? Well it depends on your personality and how much time the task is going to take.
Most successful people will get things done before they go to bed. They are committed and make sure that they get every important thing done as promised. For example, if you still have clients with whom to follow up, and it is already 6 pm or 7 pm where you want to leave the office, what you can do is to reply their email telling them that you will follow up with them the next day. At least this will help you to ease your tension and let your client know that you did not neglect them.
10. Get enough sleep
Do you have enough sleep? And do you know that getting enough hours of sleep is one of the most important energy sources for you when you wake up the next day? If you don’t get enough sleep, you will feel lethargic and tired. You will not be able to get things done and have a productive day if you’re tired.
