3 KN Nighttime Routines for Max Productivity
We all know that sleep is important, but many of us tend to downplay the direct correlation between good quality sleep and peak performance.
We've learned to accept that our daily lives are full of work, distractions, and "busy" that often lead to difficulty falling asleep at night and being productive the next day....and quarantine has NOT helped.
Sleep disruptions, well......life disruptions, are at an all-time high. Despite more time at home, isolation, interruption of normal routines, and increased anxiety, has actually led to people getting less sleep instead of more, and less sleep means decreased productivity.
So, nighttime routines have become even more important. A good nighttime routine helps increase your sleep quality, leads to smoother mornings, and ultimately, has a positive impact on productivity each day.....which we can all use right now!
We don't expect that a "one size fits all" nighttime routine is going to work for everyone, but the KN Team shared their routines and we picked the 3 routines all of us agreed upon to share with you!
3 KN Nighttime Routines for Max Productivity
1 - Avoid the Random
Ever get stuck for a solid hour in the evening reading titles or watching trailers on Netflix? This is the random that can leave you feeling like you just lost a precious hour of your down time. Random time-sucking activities can be avoided by identifying your common "random traps".
Now, if you LOVE reading Netflix titles and watching trailers and consider this entertaining, meditative, or worthwhile, then your "random trap" may be different. The idea is to find the ones that make you feel like you've lost precious time you wish you could get back.
Take some time to identify your time-stealers, your "random traps" and make a plan of how you can avoid them so that your valuable night hours are not hijacked.
Note: Do not confuse random with spontaneous. We are all about spontaneity!
2 - Planning is Key
Go ahead, Google the relationship between planning and success. The link between the two is undeniable, and as a nighttime routine, it's invaluable. It is the piece that will help you let go of the day and feel prepared for tomorrow. It's up to you when you do this, but at KN we like to make planning our "wrap up" activity before we break away from work, but it can always be done after you've digested the day and before you go to bed.
We plan by reflecting on the day, what got accomplished, and what is still lingering that will follow us into tomorrow. Because planning forces reflection, it really helps to see what you've accomplished, or at least feel that you are preparing for tomorrow even if that list gets pretty long.
Once we started doing this ourselves, we realized that stress about tomorrow reduced and we were able to move through the evening without the stress of mental lists of leftover to-dos from the day running through our heads and keeping us from rest. We are not here to tell you that planning is a magical stress eraser, but it certainly helps A LOT.
Nothing's better than feeling prepared even if you have a ton to do!
All that's left is deciding what will work for you. Will you plan as a workday wrap up, or a nighttime prep sesh? Up to you. That's the thing about any routine you have to implement, it has to be tailored to you so that you can make it consistent.
3 - Quiet Time (Call it whatever you want...)
When we started researching nighttime routines to design our own, we found that almost every single one suggested one aspect of this concept, but don't get too stuck on what to call it. Call it what you will....meditation, reflection, "unplugging", or just quiet time, the benefits of taking time to stop the mental chatter and the distractions definitely pay off.
Quiet time has both mental and physical benefits, and leads to more productivity and success. It needs to have a place in your nighttime routine and as well as throughout the day. It's rejuvenating and essential in our overwhelmingly busy lives.
These may be general, but they are meant to be because a routine has to be personal and able to be replicated every day by YOU every day. Just because it works for your fav celebrity doesn't mean it will work for you. Our suggestion is to see how you can apply these general concepts to your personal Nighttime Routine and make it work for you.
What we know for sure is that if you apply aspects of these things consistently, you WILL see a difference and even sleep easier.
In the end, it's all about self-care because "success" doesn't matter if you aren't the healthiest most productive you possible.
Here's to relaxing nights and productive days!
XOXO
The Klassy Team
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