The lack of a good night’s sleep is causing over $411 billion loss from lack of productivity in the USA. This is not always due to daily stress and is commonly linked to a poor bedtime routine. It is time we start learning the secret nighttime routine that every successful person follows.

Unfortunately, less than seven hours of sleep can affect more than just your productivity levels. Poor sleep can affect your immune system, endocrine system, stress levels, and overall well-being.

But what is a good bedtime habit? How do we know if our bedtime routine is going to help us feel and work better? Have no fear, we studied the bedtime habits of highly successful people and we are going to share it with you right now!

Read on to learn h0w you improve your nighttime routine so you can wake up with a vengeance, have your coffee before everyone wakes up, and feel like you can take over the world.

Unplug From The Overly Social, Stimulating World

I cannot stress this one enough, put down your phones well before you decide to go to sleep! Our phones contain a blue light, which tricks our brains into thinking it is daylight. Staring at this light is one of worst things you can do when trying to have a good night’s sleep!

This blue light actually suppresses melatonin production in the body, which messes up your circadian rhythm. Basically, your brain will begin to think it is noon when you are trying to hit the hay.

Aside from the actual problems of the blue light, being on Social media is a problem in itself. Say you are scrolling Instagram or Facebook, every single new picture or post you see will reset a new stimulation for the brain. You are constantly reading, analyzing, judging and watching things that will do you no good when trying to sleep.

Leave your phone in another room, and do not look at it for at least an hour before bedtime. You can also put it in airplane mode if you need it as an alarm clock. This is a proven nighttime habit of highly successful people, and it is time you try it now too.

Journalling and Gratitude

The simple practice of gratitude can calm your nerves, mind and lower your stress levels. It is nearly impossible for your brain to think about negative thoughts when you are focusing on the positive. It’s proven through numerous studies, gratitude can actually re-wire and change your brain!

Get out your journal and jot down 10 things you are grateful for that day that you just lived through. This can be something externally such as someone opening the door for you somewhere, giving you a compliment, the beauty of nature around you, and especially your loved ones.

Another great gratitude list is internal gratitude, this can be something that you are proud of yourself about, such as cooking a great meal, exercising, working hard on a task, or a personality trait you have that is unique to yourself.

Set An Alarm Clock For Bedtime, Not Just In the Morning

We are always focusing so much on our morning routines and setting the alarm clock for an appropriate time, but we forget that a good night’s sleep starts when we go to bed the night before!

Set an alarm for 30 mins before you want to be in bed. This gives you adequate time for the typical bedtime routines such as brushing your teeth and laying out your clothes for the next day. Try and have these last-minute tasks be as slow and calming as possible, the less stimulation, the better.

Plan The Next Day

The last thing you want to do in the morning is waking up frazzled and wondering how your day will go. By writing out your day ahead of time, you can go to bed knowing that your next day has been carefully thought out. This is a proven bedtime habit of highly successful people and will help you boost your own success as well.

Planning your day will help boost your management skills, your productivity and lower your stress levels as well.

Meditate and Practice Mindfulness

Along with practicing gratitude, meditation will also re-wire and change your brain. In fact, meditation actually produces more grey matter in your brain.

After a busy day of stimulation, your mind will be racing with thoughts about the day and the events that happened. You will probably also start thinking of some miraculous new inventions and ways to approach your boss about that raise you’ve been wanting.

Those are important topics, but they do not need to be thought about just before you go to bed! Think about it when you can take action on them with a fresh, restful mind. The simple act of becoming aware of your thoughts that rush in at bedtime will help you to calm your mind, and ease you into a better night’s sleep.

Read For An Hour

Repeat after me… “No more Netflix at bedtime!” Wait, say what?! Yes, that is correct, watching tv or Netflix is just like scrolling through your phone. It is stimulating, as well as being bright on the eyes too.

Get a book, and get lost in the story. This will not only strengthen your imagination and articulation, it will also help you calm down and fall asleep like no other. I don’t know about you, but I can remember numerous times of falling asleep with a book in my hands.

Trust me, this one nighttime routine alone has changed my life and is now the main ingredient in my nightly routine. Reading at nighttime as well as the morning is always the most common nighttime habit behind every successful person.

Learn More About Nighttime Routines and Other Personal Development Hacks

Now the secret is out and you can too follow this nighttime routine that is followed by every successful digital nomad on the planet. It may feel difficult at first, but if you keep at it, your productivity will go through the roof and you will find yourself accomplishing more in no time!

Want to learn more personal development hacks like this? Check out my blog and discover other hacks like 10 steps to radical happiness or head on over to my videos page where there are many videos on personal development, fitness, travel, and nutrition!

With love, health, and happiness,

Julie French