by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I am a horrible sleeper, and I always have been. One of my earliest memories is of watching a backlit, analog clock for hours and hours waiting for the little hand to get to seven and the big hand to twelve (my parents didn’t want me running around the house before then). I must have been three.
One of the reasons I sleep poorly is that my mind is spinning with things that need to get done. I’m frequently so busy during the day that my brain doesn’t have time to process upcoming tasks until I’m finally lying down.
I’ve realized for a while that I sleep better if I review my calendar before going to bed (making sure that I won’t wake up in the middle of the night wondering if my dental appointment was for the morning or the next day). I also sleep better if I do a brain dump of upcoming tasks: everything from errands to housework to writing to promo. Then I organize those tasks into a to-do list (more on my to-do lists in this post).
I hadn’t thought of a name for this process, but author assistant Mel Jolly recently referred to it in her newsletter as a ‘shutdown routine.’
What I especially like about Mel’s approach is that she has instituted a sort of ‘office hours’ setup at her house. She’s not always available nor always working on something. I’ve found that one of the troubles of being a working writer is that I might still be playing around with something at nine o’clock at night.
Mel states:
(You need) something to tell your brain that it’s time to rest now and that there’s no need to keep thinking about work. You’re on top of everything, even if things didn’t get done, they’re on the list. You’ve checked your calendar and you know what’s coming up next.
I like the thought of the last check of email, the last look at the calendar. I like feeling that I’m on top of everything and that I can pick up where I leave off the next day.
As an additional part of my shutdown routine, I shift anything that didn’t get finished that day to the next day’s to-do list. That way I make sure that nothing falls through the cracks.
Do you have a shutdown routine? How’s your sleeping? :)
Use a shutdown routine for a better sleep habit: Share on XPhoto via VisualHunt
I hit a point where I am too tired to function properly anyway, and that’s when I shut it all down. I might not check a list, but I find just shutting down my computer usually does it.
Getting away from the computer is certainly a big part of it. Hope you have a great week!
I need a shut down routine. I tend to wake up at least once in the middle of the night and my brain won’t shut off either.
Isn’t that awful? Sometimes it’s just better for me to give up sleeping and get up for the day.
What a great, and important, topic, Elizabeth! There’s so much research that suggests the vital necessity of enough sleep. Yet, we get so busy that we forget our brains and bodies need time to make the switch from ‘alert’ to ‘rest.’ I like the idea of backing away from electronics in the last while or so before going to bed. Studies show that lighted screen can actually keep us awake longer, and make rest less, well, restful.
That’s one reason I have a Kindle that isn’t backlit…no lighted screen at night!
My sleep improved dramatically once I started keeping my phone out of my room when I went to sleep (and it seems to be even better if I keep my phone off for several hours before that). Getting writing and planning done by 7 or 7:30 is important if I want to be able to get to bed by 10, but my best practice of all seems to be cuddling up with a good book :)
I would love to do that! With my son in college, I feel I have to have the thing next to me overnight in case of an emergency.
I like your best practice!
I sleep terrible too and for years like you. I’ll try your routine to see if it helps shut down my brain, especially when I’m super busy.
Hope it helps! Good luck.
I am a great believer in having to-do lists. Started doing it when I was teaching and still do it now that I’m retired. (Need it even more now because time can fill up quickly with all those things retired people do! Ha!) I also have a little notebook by my bedside so that when something occurs to me at bedtime I can write it down. If I wait until morning, I’ll forget what it was. Thank you for your wonderful website, Elizabeth.
A notebook by the bed is a great way to keep from worrying about those tasks that wake us up at night!
Thanks so much for the kind words about the site!
” I shift anything that didn’t get finished that day to the next day’s to-do list.”
This is the key to marching toward your goals without feeling scattered.
I suffered from sleeplessness until I started scheduling the next day’s activities before going to bed. Simply listing the tasks sends a message to my brain that everything is in order, even when my schedule is frenetic. It’s truly strange.
It makes sleeping so much easier when our minds are at rest! So glad that you’re resting well now. Thanks for coming by. :)
Hi Elizabeth – exactly what should be done for helpful management of self … let alone sleeping better, something I don’t suffer with … but getting life in toe for the morning would be helpful. Thanks for the reminder – good for post Christmas and New Year resolutions/plans for 2018 … cheers Hilary
Sleeping well is a gift! Glad you’re blessed with it, especially with your recent move. Merry Christmas to you!