Goodnight Mind
The nighttime routine that quiets my mind.
I didn’t intend to have a series of newsletters on routines, but here we are. I’ve shared my responsive morning routine, and my buffer block routine for focused action. As I deepen my learning around rest, it feels important to share my evening routine.
I sometimes suffer from a racing mind. It’s doubly annoying at night when all I want to do is rest. Even if I don’t feel stressed, it’s unsettling to have my mind filled with the background noise of upcoming deadlines, to-dos that I don’t want to forget, and a replay of moments during the day that left me unsure.
As a temporary measure, I used to do a brain-dump into the notes app on my phone or jot things down in my calendar to remember them the next day. That helped on occasion, but when done in desperation to get sleep, I sometimes sat up wondering what else I was forgetting to jot down.
A proactive and calmer solution…
My approach is much different these days. Each evening, or as a way of winding down the work day, I follow a routine that helps me feel settled and prepared for the day ahead.
REVIEW THE DAY
Celebrate what I got done that day. I’m big on positive self-talk, so I often say, “I’m proud of myself today for…,” or “Look at us! We got a lot done today. (insert what got done).”
Review what I didn’t get done without judgment or shame.
Assess the importance of the items that didn’t get done. Aspirational items that aren’t time-sensitive go on my overall list of things to do. I prioritize items that are time-sensitive and critical for the next day.
REVIEW THE DAY AHEAD
What’s on the calendar? Have I done everything I need to do in preparation? This may seem like it’s stress-producing because I may realize I haven’t done something. The reality is that I do this type of assessment at the beginning of the week as well, so nothing should be a surprise at this stage. This is how I double-check and quiet my mind from worrying about something that wasn’t assessed.
What must get done tomorrow? Based on my available time, what to-dos can I realistically add to tomorrow’s agenda?
PLOT OUT THE DAY AHEAD
Time-block the day. Write out what will happen and when. I resisted this step for a long time because it felt restrictive. Since doing it, I have been more honest about my capacity and am better at managing my time the next day.
Review what I wrote out. What feelings are emerging? Based on those feelings, what do I want to adjust?
After this wind-down routine, I release my work for the day. I feel calm, accomplished, and prepared. I’ve enjoyed more restful evenings and sound nights of sleep because my mind can rest at ease.
When I need some mental rest, sometimes I do a nature walk or sit in the garden and just admire the plants. Meditating on gratitude for nature.
What thoughts are we carrying unneccessarily?
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith reminds us in, Sacred Rest, when we let our mind-wandering go unchecked, we allow it to keep us from being present in the current moment. I invite you to pause today and shift your focus to things that bring joy, peace, and calm to your life.
If you’d like to try a favorite meditation of mine, the 5-Senses Check-in, you can learn more about it on my free video series, Start From Within.
New material is in the process of being designed. Thank you for being so patient as I paused development this spring/summer for beautiful personal reasons, which I’ll share more about soon.
