- Sarah Lindsey
Routines for Success
The definition of success is different for everyone and the road to becoming successful is as varied as people’s definitions. T. Harv Eker once said “Success is a learnable skill, you can learn to succeed at anything.” So how can we learn to be successful? There are literally millions of tips to be found on how to be successful across the internet, books, and even day-to-day conversations. The truth of it all is that to be successful you need to create habits that will help you to become successful as Jim Rohn said “success is a few good habits repeated every day; failure is a few bad decisions repeated every day.” One good habit that will help change your day and perspective is that of the oft-neglected importance of an evening routine.
No matter what kind of day you have had an evening routine will make it better. In an article written for Success Magazine Jack Canfield called an evening routine “the most important 45 minutes of the day” and said “Whatever you read, see, listen to, talk about and experience during the last 45 minutes of the day has a tremendous influence on your sleep and your next day. During the night, your unconscious mind replays and processes this late-night input up to six times more often than anything else you experienced during the day. That’s why cramming for school exams late at night can work and why watching a scary movie before bed will give you nightmares. This is also why reading good bedtime stories is so important for children—not just to get them to fall asleep, but because the repeated messages, lessons, and morals of the story become part of the fabric of the child’s consciousness.” Basically, the last 45 minutes of your day can set you up for success tomorrow by helping you get the proper rest needed.
While we’re on the subject, let’s talk about the importance of good sleep. Over 60% of the world’s adult population said that they do not sleep as well as they’d like to. That’s a crazy percentage! Evening routines are helpful in establishing good bedtimes that ensure we are getting enough rest.
So what should an Evening Routine include?
What comprises your evening routine is up to you! Here are a few helpful practices/ ideas to help you get started in creating your routine.
Reflect on your day- Ask yourself the same few questions every day as you lay in bed. Questions like: Where could I have been more effective today? What were by 3 ‘wins’ of the day? Where could I have been a better --- (fill in the blank here) today? These questions should be asked without the intent to judge yourself on the answer (this is a no self-criticism zone) and over time will help you to become more conscious and intentional in your daily efforts.
Create tomorrow’s to-do list- What are some essential tasks that NEED to be accomplished the next day? Start by planning those tasks where they need to be completed and plan your ideal day around them.
Stretch and relax- For some people this could mean a little bit of yoga, journaling, or maybe just some quiet meditation. Whatever method works for you to help wind down is perfect.
Read a book- Reading a book that inspires you is a great way of telling your body it’s time to relax. If you really want to binge the latest Netflix series try using blue light glasses or “night mode” on devices to help reduce blue light exposure.
These tips will help you begin to establish an evening routine that can set you up for success. A good reminder though is that success does not solely come from work, we can find success in our lives outside of professional performance- we work to live not the other way around. A good evening routine will create patterns that will help you to build successful habits in all areas of your life.
*This article was inspired by articles from Jack Canfield and The Oracles. To read their respective articles follow the links. These Are the 45 Most Important Minutes of Your Day and What 11 Highly Successful People Do Right Before They Go to Bed