La Ivana Cert. Life Coach · The La Ivana Podcast

If you want to have a good day tomorrow, you can start tonight. In less than 20 minutes you can prepare for a great day ahead. Combining these 3 things you will have both a productive and relaxing night routine, as well as an easier morning.

And, we all know that the way you start your morning is going to set the tone for the rest of your day. So if you want to know what to implement into your night routine, keep reading.

1. Start your night routine early.

What to do about your night routine so that you don’t stress out at the end of the day? Start early.

I often used to start my night routine when I was already in bed. And when you’re all relaxed and cozy, you definitely don’t want to get up and do something.

What I do now is removing my makeup, cleaning a bit (10 minutes of sorting the dishes and cleaning the cupboards work wonders when you wake up and you don’t see chaos first thing in the morning), putting my phone to charge, etc. around 7 – 8 p. m. when most of my work is done.

Read next:
3 Steps to Set Yourself Up for Success
6 Tips to Stop Wasting Your Time
7 Tips to Create a Healthy and Productive Morning Routine
 

2. Reflect on the day.

This is the productive part of your night routine (it doesn’t have to last more than 5 minutes). For this you can use your planner or notes on your phone and ask yourself:

– What was my highlight of the day? This question reminds you that there is always something positive in life. It can be as small as getting dressed in the morning or as big as hitting a milestone in your business.

– What didn’t go as planned? This question will help you see what are the obstacles to your goals or what are some areas of your life that need more attention.

– How can I improve tomorrow? Now it’s time to brainstorm some solutions for the previous question so that you don’t end up in a cycle of stumbling upon the same obstacles over and over again.

When you think about these questions you will start the next day with a clearer mind because now you know what was the problem today so you can focus on the solution for tomorrow. That brings me to the next point, writing a to-do list.

Now that you know what didn’t go as planned and you know the reason why you didn’t follow up with your intentions, you can put on your to-do list what are you committing to improving tomorrow.

That way you don’t get into the cycle of planning and not sticking to your plans which brings up negative feelings when you think about all the things you should’ve done, but haven’t.

When it comes to to-do lists, I suggest focusing on a maximum of 3 things that will bring you closer to your bigger goal. If you have a bunch of things on your mind, ask yourself if they all are important.

Are they really urgent or you can do them next week without stressing about them so much? Or maybe you can ask someone else to help you with something. Learning to prioritize is key to getting things done.

If you’ve been on your own self-improvement journey and you want to dive deeper, check out my journaling bundle.

The bundle includes 3+ hours of guided journaling workshops for building confidence, creating the next-level version of yourself, reframing your limiting beliefs, and setting goals. It’s so powerful to help you dig deeper within yourself and start making a change in your life so that you can reach your goals. Sound good? Then get your bundle on the link here and dive right in!

3. Chill.

And the relaxing part. The one that can last more than a few minutes and I’d suggest turning off the computer/TV/phone for this one. It’s the end of the day. You’ve liked all the photos on Instagram you wanted to like, you’ve watched all the videos on YouTube you wanted to watch, you’ve seen what your friends were doing on Facebook, now give yourself permission to be present without social media. Allow yourself to breathe and enjoy the rest of the day.

Some things you might want to include in this part are stretching (or yoga), a couple of deep breaths (or meditation), a book, a cup of tea, and journaling. Write your thoughts on paper or talk to someone about your day and what is on your mind.  Just be. Be calm.

Be grateful for the day and for the fact that tomorrow is going to be a brand new day with brand new opportunities. Think about the best thing that has happened to you today. Focus on the positive aspect of the things that have happened. Be grateful for everything you have and expect great things to happen tomorrow.

Read next:
10 Self-Care Ideas You’ll Love
10 Fall-Inspired Self-Care Ideas
10 Tips to De-Stress and Reduce Anxiety

Until the next time,

Ivana

night routine productive evening routine productivity