I'm up especially early today, not by choice, but I just woke up at 3am. Like wide awake. So instead of staring at the ceiling I thought I better get up and just get at it. 

This happens to me occasionally and its something I find is best remedied by getting my thoughts out. 

Do you struggle with this? 

I have found something that is really helpful in preventing these early morning wake ups is to have a day to night routine. 

The last days I have not been following this routine and sure enough my sleep has been disrupted as a result. 

This is something I will be getting back into today as sleep is vital for my health, productivity, and happiness.

So if you struggle with this I suggest you take on this routine. I learned it from Craig Ballantyne and has been really helpful in improving the quality of my sleep. Even something as simple as the brain dump (see below) can be super helpful.

This system helps you get to bed on time, sleep better, and wake up the next morning well rested and ready to get after it.

10 hours before bed – No more caffeine.

3 hours before bed – No more food or alcohol.

2 hours before bed – No more work.

1 hour before bed – No more screen time (turn off all phones, TVs and computers).

0 – The number of times you will hit the snooze button in the morning.

Stop drinking all caffeinated beverages ten hours before bed. This is generally the amount of time required for your body to clear it from the bloodstream and eliminate its stimulatory effects.

Finish eating big meals and drinking alcohol three hours before bed. This will help you avoid heartburn (gastric reflux) and interrupted sleep. Alcohol might make you feel sleepy, but it impairs your natural sleep cycle and interrupts valuable deep sleep.

End all work-related activities two hours before bed. No more taking phone calls, checking emails, reading reports, or thinking about tomorrow. I admit, I'm not the best at this, it's a work in progress. I know when I do it though, sleep is almost always better. 

If you struggle to find the “off button” for your brain, I can relate. But at the end of your day, in order to enjoy uninterrupted time with family, in order to be present for your children, in order to forget about work problems, tasks that didn’t get done, or items that need to get completed first thing in the morning, you need to do a brain dump. It’s a simple solution that takes five minutes and requires nothing more than a blank piece of paper and a pen. 

Write it down, get it out, forget it. Blank slate. It will be there for you in the morning. After a quality sleep of course :).

Patrick

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