It’s been a little over a month since I started travelling to office on most of the weekdays. Keeping the blog going along has been less than a smooth transition. Depending on the days my daily travel time is somewhere between 4-6 hours a day. Getting enough sleep, staying fresh, productive and finishing all the chores of the week is a mountainous task. Are you in search of an effective and practical night time routine?
Over the last few years I’ve realised if I compromise on my sleep quality, I can’t be productive the next day. Gone are the days when I could party night till 4:00 a.m. on a Wednesday and still be creative and energetic the next day. A couple of cups of coffee don’t cut it anymore, in fact they make it even worse. I’ve worked out a night time routine for myself that sort of works and helps me get a good night sleep and wake up fresh the next morning.
Leave work at office
It’s important for me to separate work time and personal time. They eventually do creep in, however I try to keep it to the minimum. I’ve learned with experience it can easily become a big mess and soon you are in a state of mind where you are neither at work nor at home. For this reason, I try to make it a point that I don’t take my work, home. If I’m working from office I finish whatever I plan to do for the day in office, before I head home. The days I’m working from home, I give myself a deadline to finish at a particular time in the evening and be done with work.
Skin care
This is the step I’m most lazy. If I leave it too late, I’m so sleepy that I won’t even take off my make up. Yes, that happens no matter how rare. When it does happen though I end up paying the price with congestion on my face. To avoid this situation, I like to get it out of the way as soon as I come home. I like to change and finish my skincare. It also gives me 5 minutes to just relax and be away from work and chores related thoughts.
Prep for the next day
Preparing what I might need the next day from what to wear, what to carry in my bag and what will have for lunch is the most important step. I like to get it out of the way as soon as I can before or after dinner. My brain is still active and I still have some energy left before I sit down to watch something on TV. According to David Allen, the author of Getting things done. Your brain should be used to think about new ideas and not store the to-do list. So I’ve learned to not continuously think about all that I might need the next day. I am the biggest testimony that once I finish this step, I’m visibly relaxed and have a better chance to get a good night’s sleep.
Shower
Having a shower at night is a rarity but absolutely helps me relax. The day I’m able to convince my head to take a warm shower before sleep, I’m grateful to myself. A shower helps me slow down my active mind. I don’t have the luxury of a bath yet, so I am happy to get a few minutes to myself in shower. The warm water drizzling on my face and body is relaxing and takes me away from the busy schedule of that day and what’s coming the next day.
Dinner and wind down
Yes, they say that you should not be looking at a screen before you sleep. However for me, watching something I like on Netflix or other OTT platforms is one way that I relax. Ever since I remember I like to read a good book or watched a good movie or a gripping series. On a daily basis I don’t have time to finish a movie so I like to watch an episode of any series. Some of my all-time favourite series are Friends sitcom, Downton Abbey, The Crown and because of my husband, Band of Brothers. What I’m enjoying watching these days is The West Wing. I like the 90’s feel of the whole atmosphere. A real feel good series. We like to have dinner and watch a couple of episodes together and talk about our day. By the time we have finished dinner and loaded the dishwasher I’m already sleepy. But I’m happy that everything is ready for tomorrow and I can go to sleep without worrying about planning of next day.
Unusual compared to popular opinion and maybe even controversial this routine works for me and puts me in a good state of mind before I go to bed. If you care to know I shared my morning routine some time ago. I’m curious to know what works for you and what’s your routine. Do share it in the comments.
Until next week. Ciao!
