Hitting The Snooze Button

Creative Commons Photo Credit by uzbecka

“Sleep + Focus = Creativity” -Jim Collins

I don’t know about you, but my whole week has been thrown off by daylight savings time. I just can’t seem to catch up on sleep.

The subject of sleep might not seem like a huge deal, but it can be that one thing that will really determine how my day goes, if I don’t have enough sleep or even too much of it. I need 7-9 hours of sleep every night, but I really want 9. Yes, I love how sleep makes me feel.

Sleep will also let you setup your day in the way that you want to, especially your morning. Here are a few tips for you on making your daily routines:

1. Have a bedtime.
This will help you plan your night and even your morning. It adds structure to a busy life. It may seem like an elementary step, but putting this routine back into your life adds simplicity. This will be that step that will help you wake up at the time that you actually want to wake up at in the morning. When I was a night owl trying to become a morning person, going to bed earlier was the one thing that woke me up earlier. So simple, right?

2. Have a morning and night routine.
The morning routine is an easier one for me than the night routine, because at night I just want to do what Adam wants to do. Working on that one. As far as my morning routine, the most important start is not hitting the snooze button. When I do this, I put off goals even longer than I already have.  None of us have time to prolong blessings and success. Adding routines will make sure that you complete everything you need to. Morning routines can either set your day up for success or can make you feel like you’re just trying to play catch up all day. Night routines add that time for family, reading and preparing for the next day.

3. Know how much sleep that you need.
Understand that this is really up to you and what your body needs. I know people that only need 5 hours of sleep each night. I have no idea how they do that, but I wish I could. I just think of how productive I could be if I only needed 5 hours. I could add 4 hours to each day! Wow! But, if you are like me and need 7-9 hours of sleep, setup your day to where this can happen. It is that important.

4. Don’t overcommit on unimportant things.

I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve committed to things that aren’t even important and end up throwing off my sleep. It ultimately affects my next day and even my entire week. I know that I can’t be the only one that does this. Know what you are committing to before you commit. Use more of your time doing important things that actually fit in your schedule.

Again, all of these things are so easy that they are often overlooked. Time can even be added to your day when you find your routine.

So, how much sleep do you get each night? What are some other things you have found that helps you have a great night sleep? You can leave a comment below.