1. Make a To Do List for the next day

2. Lay out my Outfit for the next day

3. Stop drinking water 2 hours before bed

4. Limit screen time 30 mins before bed

Okay so we have probably heard these all before but here is my reasoning for why they work for me!

When I feel unorganised, I get anxious. When I get anxious, I DO NOT sleep very well to the point where I am getting only 4 hours of continuous sleep. 4 hours of sleep means lotsssss of coffee the next day and what is not good for anxiety??? Oh, thats right, coffee! It seems as though without a good nights sleep, the next day is pretty much …. (you know what I was going to say!). So this is where the to do list comes in. I have everything in the one spot, visual and I know I wont forget something in my sleep plus there is that satisfaction of organisation streaming through your veins….. Now to do to lists may not be your thing but you can always change this step up and do something organisational or calming that helps you - put away 5 things in your room, do 10 minutes meditation or spend 5 minutes just listening to your environment and be present. Do what you feel is right for you!

Number 2 can also roll into number one but i like to make it, its own step as planning my outfit is definitely something that takes time…. Girls, you know what I mean?!?!?! (If you don’t, I seriously envy you and all your clothing decision making skills. Send me some tips!!!). This is pretty self explanatory, as mornings will be so less hectic, you wont feel rushed or frazzled and then snap at the person who used your favourite coffee cup so you now have to use the not so fabulous charity mug you “guilt” purchased from the deaf and blind man on the street corner outside the train station. It just doesn't fit the best coffee to milk ratio….. Did I take that too far???

Water. We are told to drink, drink, drink, all day long and then what happens? We pee constantly all day, (or maybe that is just me?). I love drinking water. It gives me energy, it clears my skins and its just a pretty great freebie until that 3 Litres you drank means you need to pee twice in the middle of the night! I have done some “trial and error” with this one and have concluded, I must put the water bottle done 2 hours before bed if i want a toilet free slumber. Now, this could be completely just me and you might need 4 hours or maybe you could drink a litre before bed and comfortably sleep 8 hours without a visit to the loo (I wish that was me! I think I have a granny bladder…).

Limit you screen time. Yes it really is a big help. I was so reluctant to do this the first time and I think that really affected how I slept. Laws of attraction - I didn't want it to work so it didn’t. This is a big thing with everything in my life actually, a self fulfilling prophecy. Once you get your mind around it and start opening up to new possibilities the good stuff will come flooding in - like getting a good nights sleep. Limiting your screen time means you are not exposing your eyes and brain to white light. It keeps our brains wired and in “on” mode even when we really want and feel like we should be in “off” mode. I think the reason I found this so hard at first, was that I set my alarm right before I go to sleep. Which basically means I have checked my phone, which means, screen time, thus white light, and then my sleep is …(insert french here). So, when I put the water bottle done, I set my alarm. They go together. Can’t do one without

So those are my tips for before bed to-dos that will help you get the best night sleep! Why not tailor these to suit your own habits? Let me know if you do these? Or anything I could add, subtract or substitute?

Lots of love,

S.L. xx