There’s plenty that keeps me up at night—stress about my business, worry over the health and safety of my loved ones, and of course, the state of the world as we know it. No bigs.
Which is why I don’t have any time to get worked up over getting a good night’s sleep. But by implementing simple changes to my routine, I find myself waking up so much more ready to take on my day stylishly, not sluggishly.
Below, I’m sharing a few of my best tips on how to get a good night’s sleep for a better tomorrow:
Do: Get enough sleep
When I don’t get enough sleep, I’m way more likely to make decisions I’ll regret. Not Maybe I should rob that bank… bad, more like, I’ll skip a shower since I’m way too exhausted to dry my hair. Or, I’ll wear jeans to work (or even, yikes, leggings) because I just can’t muster up the energy needed to pull a more professional outfit together. And I’ll definitely stop for a bagel or donut on the way to the office because the thought of cooking breakfast makes me want to crawl back under the covers.
We all have more willpower when we get enough sleep, so set yourself up for a good day full of good decisions by making the call the night before to hit the hay at a decent hour. I try to aim for 6-7 hours a night because seriously, who has time for a full eight hours??
Don’t: Wait to prepare for tomorrow
Doing as much mindless prep the night before helps make your life easier in the morning. Even with a full night’s sleep, I’m so groggy in the AM that taking away as many decisions as possible – everything from what to wear (hello, packed work bag sitting by the door!) to what to make for breakfast – means I’m more likely to leave the house in time, and in good shape. I even try to lay out not just my outfit for the next day, but my workout clothes, too.
And yes, by “lay out,” I mean, “pull from my closet and leave in a heap by my bed. Same dif.
Do: Make it Easy
Of course, you can’t prepare for the next day if you haven’t prepared to prepare.
No, this isn’t an Inception-based listicle. What I mean is that trying to make lunch for the next day won’t work so well if there’s nothing in your fridge. You can’t pick out an outfit if all your clothes are sitting dirty in the hamper.
There’s nothing that can ruin a good night’s sleep faster than waking up and already feeling behind schedule. Do what you can to stay ahead of the game. Have healthy food in the fridge (get it delivered if you’re too busy to shop!), so you’re not stopping at the bodega for a greasy bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. Stay on top of your dry cleaning so you’re not weeding for clothes from among dirty shirts missing buttons. You get the idea.
Don’t: Procrastinate
Man, do I wish whoever invented the snooze button had slept in the day he or she invented it.
If I could disable the ability to hit snooze on my phone, I would totally do it. Too many mornings, I’m guilty of wanting “just five more minutes” to lay in bed. Sometimes I use that time to try in vain to drift back to sleep (totally unsatisfying, fwiw)…sometimes I’m just checking Twitter.
The longer you lay in bed (no matter how comfortable it is!) the less likely you are to go for that run, read that book chapter before work, etc. Something that may help? I read once that hitting snooze is like telling the universe you don’t want all the good stuff it has in store for you. Maybe that’s hippie-dippie, but it works for me when I want to tell myself I deserve a little longer under the covers. I want to receive what’s in store, helping me resist the temptation to hit snooze.
Do: Start the day on the right foot
Before I even open my eyes in the morning, I try to think of five things I’m grateful for. Legs that work. A family that loves me. Readers who leave positive comments. Air conditioning. Tacos. Anything that reminds me how lucky I am and helps get me out of bed feeling excited about what I get to take on, rather than drained by it.
That’s not to say there won’t be annoying stuff waiting for you – or even, yes, rotten horrible terrible stuff – but you can’t do anything about it while you’re still snuggled under the covers, so try not to focus on it ‘til after you’ve had some caffeine.
Do: Be present
Who else is guilty of checking for overnight likes on Instagram the second they open their eyes in the morning? Or turning on the TV for ‘distraction’ in the background? I know, me too.
To keep from jumping into the day too quickly, I like to play music when I wake up. Not the same music every day, but whatever I wake up with in my head. It has the dual function of waking me up and calming my go-go-go mind. Instagram can wait ’til that first cup of coffee (or tea, in my case…I haven’t had coffee since this cleanse!) has kicked in.
TELL ME:
WHAT’S YOUR BEST TIP FOR GETTING A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP?
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