21 May As a Self-Proclaimed Night Owl, Here Are My Evening Habits to Ensure Morning Productivity
Evening habits are key
These days we’re bombarded with productivity propaganda. It’s all about how to improve your morning clarity, performance, and stamina — forming habits that allow you to complete most things before 9 AM.
That’s all great, but what about us night owls? I struggle to even remember my name before 9 AM, let alone color-code my vegetables for my morning breakfast.
I’m no stranger to sleepless nights writing blog posts, scrolling through my news feed, or talking to friends. I have more brain power and get more stuff done, I’m just wired that way.
When the clock hits about 9 PM, something in me just lights up and I start feeling full of productive energy. I have more mental clarity and focus to prioritize what’s important, something I don’t have in the morning. My productivity and stamina last from about 11 AM to 3 PM and then from 9 PM to the wee morning hours.
On the other hand, in the morning I’m useless. I can barely find the willingness to splash water on my face and put on SPF, so I decided I would leave as few decisions as possible to the morning.
My secret to success? Evening rituals.
Evening habit 1: prepare your outfit in advance
Pre-COVID, this was a colossal problem (add extra drama). The moment I rolled out of bed, I could not pony up enough mental capacity to put together a cute outfit. So I would throw on whatever felt comfortable.
You’ve certainly heard this tip before, but it’s such a time-saver to plan your outfit the night before. Placing your clothes, jewelry, and shoes somewhere in sight the night before, will save you time and effort in the morning. All while guaranteeing you’ll look decent when you dash out the door.
It’s definitely not for everyone, but even during COVID times, it’s an enormous confidence boost to look nice for a Zoom meeting the next day! Wearing a more formal shirt and styled hair, as opposed to sweatpants and sweatshirt (my preferred outfit many times), will make you feel much more prepared for the day.
Even if you’re a morning person, planning the night before will avoid you defaulting back to indoor pajamas.
Evening habit 2: organize your tasks and to-dos
Every evening, I plan my activities and to-do list for the next day. Making lists in general brings me immense pleasure, but having a concrete set of activities I can tick off as I complete them is pretty satisfying.
My to-do lists are usually hand-written on a piece of paper (I find that writing things down helps me remember better) that I place on my kitchen table. If in a rush, I’ll save tasks on the sticky notes app on my desktop.
I found a trick that changed my life — sorting my email inbox by “unread” first, rather than chronologically. In Gmail, this is how it looks:
By sorting my emails this way, I make sure to not miss important communication. If something hasn’t been read or sorted, it stays at the top of my inbox waiting to be checked. It’s super simple and one to use if you often overlook important emails.
Also, in Gmail there’s a task option now. When selecting an email you can add it to your list of tasks, as seen below:
This is proving to be a great tool when many emails require follow-ups and actions.
Evening habit 3: prep your coffee or tea area
Small life-saver: prep your coffee or tea station in advance. For many avid coffee drinkers like myself, this is pivotal for our morning routine and mood.
I use an Italian moka for my morning joe. The night before I’ll prep it by cleaning out the grounds, pouring fresh coffee and water, and sealing it shut so it’s ready to go. All I’ll have to do in the morning is turn on the stove.
My favorite mug is always within arm’s length and all the extra trimmings (milk, sugar, etc) are nearby in case I have guests. I usually drink my coffee black, but sometimes I’ll wake up wanting to add a drop of almond milk.
If you’re a tea person, set out your mug, plug in your water boiler, and pick your favorite tea flavor so it’s ready to go and you don’t have to think too hard before the caffeine finally hits you.
Evening habit 4: set out your pills
I’m a supplement freak. I spend so much $$$ on Amazon trying the latest fads in nutrition and buying my way to a healthy diet by supplementing any missing nutrients.
Anyway, if I don’t have my supplements in sight, I’ll forget to take them, so I set them out on my dresser so I’ll remember to take them, with or without meals.
If you take any medication, you probably have a reminder on your phone or a container to keep all your pills ready. I like to set mine out the day before (or at the beginning of the week) so that all I have to do is pop them at the right moment!
Evening habit 5: what’s for breakfast?
I don’t always do this, but I always appreciate prepping my breakfast beforehand. Sometimes, I’ll make overnight protein oats by mixing oats, chocolate protein powder, cocoa, almond milk, and a sweetener (I use erythritol), then leave it in the fridge overnight.
In my pre-COVID existence, I liked prepping breakfast the night before so I could sleep in a little longer before heading to work. I would pack my oats in a Tupperware container and grab it on my way out. Now with the quarantine I make my breakfast the same morning, using the time I would’ve spent commuting to the office.
Even during quarantine, meal prepping is a handy habit to save time, budget better (yay for buying in bulk!), and always have a healthy meal on hand!
Conclusion
For all those who have a harder time establishing morning rituals, I hope my evening habits help with maximizing your time and energy. So you can prioritize what’s important.
I hope these tips are useful and that you’re staying safe and healthy these days. If you haven’t already set up some evening habits, it’s never too late to start.