08-Arrow Tip Tuesday: Plan Tomorrow Tonight
Arrow Tip: Plan Tomorrow Tonight
Do you ever have those days when you are driving home after an exhausting day, your workout kicked your butt, and you’ve been running a million miles per hour from one thing to the next? And all you can think about is how you are excited to get in bed and pass out.
Maybe like 7 nights a week?
That happens to me often, but it was an even more common occurrence in college. I would get home, brush my teeth, slip on my glow-in-the-dark retainers, snuggle into my covers, shut my eyes with giddiness so stoked to dream about puppies and scoring goals and chipotle, and then, all of a sudden, a little thought would pop into my head about tomorrow….
“I have to train. Then I have study. And go to the grocery store. I want to make almond milk. But I have to Youtube how to make almond milk, because last time I attempted to do it myself, it tasted like soggy, nutty socks. And then I need to go to my physical therapy appointment, and call my grandma. I want to see my dog. I haven’t seen Jake in forever. I miss him. I bet he misses me. But will I have time see him before I coach? And I have that family dinner. Ahh and I still haven’t sent my 10 month over-due birthday thank you letters…”
That one thought would lead to a cascade of other thoughts, and the realization that my day tomorrow is going to be even busier than today. And from that point, I would activate high-alert mode, feel very overwhelmed, rendering it nearly impossible to fall asleep But, I found a super simple action that I’ve been using for years now that dramatically reduce this stress.
Before hitting the hay, I take 5-10 minutes to plan out my day in detail, hour by hour.
I Schedule my obligations first (i.e work, assignments, training, appointments…). I like to prioritize 3 things to get done after that.
I often find that if I plan strategically, and specifically by the hour, that there is time in the day to get a lot more done than I think. There are days when I don’t have time to search “how to make almond milk”, but with this knowledge, I can reschedule it for another day, and not stress about it at night.
This scheduling may sound rigid, but I believe it’s the opposite. When you schedule your day, you have a clear set of intentions for the day, you know what you need to do, and it free up a ton of mental space so you can be fully present when throughout your day’s workout and other activities.
A lot times if we don’t have a schedule, we are constantly responding to everyone else needs, and disregarding our own. When you decide what you are going to do, that gives you back control.
A big benefit of scheduling the night before is that once you fall asleep, all night long your subconscious mind works on how to make these intentions happen. It pulls up past memories and comes up with creative possibilities to help prime your brain to get your intentions done for that next day.
Planning my days has been a real savior. It allows me to live each day with presence and reduces unnecessary nighttime mind-wandering. Now, when I climb into bed, I confidently whisper to myself “Night, night Kendall, sleep tight, don’t let the stress bugs bite.”
Have you tried planning your night before? Did you find it beneficial?
Let me know in the comments!
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