For my frequent readers, you may notice this is a revised post. For the remaining of 2023, I’ve selected and revised some of your favorite blog posts while I work to complete my first book! Many of you have been excited and reached out about my book, Psalm 119: Stringing Pearls. More updates coming soon.

“If you’re going to grow, you have to be intentional.”

Curt Kampmeier

In my morning routine post, I talked about being intentional every morning.

The key to success is being intentional, I said. Waking up early is easy when you’ve implemented an evening routine… start by turning off your electronics. Go to bed one hour earlier. Create your ideal way of winding down. Read a book, journal, or meditate. This will help you sleep well and rest.

In this post, I’ll explain why having an evening routine may improve your overall health, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. When you take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually, your confidence will increase. And your confidence is foundational to your success.

Go To Bed 1 Hour Earlier

“You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough.”

Abraham Lincoln

To be a morning person doesn’t mean that it’s easy to wake up early every morning. However, it gets easier when you set yourself up in the evening routinely.

If you go to bed 1 hour earlier, your wake up won’t be as dreadful. You’ll be more energized, more confident, and more focused. Doing this alone will give you a sense of accomplishment that will motivate you for the brand new day.

Every day is like a roller coaster. You go up, down, upside-down, you twirl and whirl, and experience many things. You’re an ever-growing and changing creature that needs rest. You need rest so you can get on that roller coaster again. And going to bed 1 hour earlier will position you to do so confidently, and even enthusiastically.

The difference between successful people and people who are stuck is their perspective. Successful people look for opportunities to change their day to day, to get more success. Stuck people focus on the same views and feelings day after day, decreasing the desire to take risks and to step outside of their comfort zone.

When you go to bed an hour earlier, it’s important to implement an evening routine. If you just hit the sack, you may not sleep all that well. But if you do the following, your wake up will have purpose, your motivation will increase, and your confidence will skyrocket.

Do This 1 Hour Before You Go To Bed

Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.

Peter Drucker

Turn off your phone 1 hour before you go to bed.

This means that 2 hours before you sleep, your phone can charge up and stay on Do Not Disturb mode until your alarm goes off the next morning. If your phone is also your alarm, place it far from your bed. That way, when the morning comes, and the rooster crows, you’ll actually get out of bed.

If you’re a human being, electronics will affect the quality of your sleep. According to SCL Health, the blue light is harmful to your eyes and restrains the production of melatonin (the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle). Whether you work a desk job or outside all day, your phone is probably the one object you’re in constant contact with all day, every day. We’re constantly checking and doing things on our phones, so we owe it to ourselves. And our phones.

You may have separation anxiety at first. But after a couple of nights, you’ll see how much your sleep has improved. You’ll notice how clear your mind is. You’ll think of new ideas as your imagination stirs. You’ll also see how emotionally light you feel. And your appearance will brighten up, too.

Unless you’re playing music, let your body and brain rest from all electronics.

Read, Write, & Learn

Scientifically, your brain is in optimal condition to learn between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, and then again from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Ideally, your evening routine should fall into the second time.

Once your phone is out of the way, be intentional about learning something. When you learn something new, it’s like it opens your eyes to a whole new world. You feel leveled up in life. You become more confident as you reach this milestone.

Reading and writing stimulates your learning abilities. Reading helps you retain information and activates your creativity and imagination. Writing helps you analyze your day, see what improvements you can make, and what new goals you can set. Even if you take 10 minutes to read, and then 10 minutes to write, you’ll be more confident to achieve your goals and closer to your success.

Your brain is most creative in the mornings, and most analytical in the evenings. Use this to your advantage. Read something and write about what you want to do the next morning. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Write 2-3 things, and you’ll look forward to going to bed and waking up in the morning.

Meditate

Meditate. Pray. Journal.

Express gratitude and leave any bad-itudes.

Though this is especially (and possibly more) important to do in the mornings, meditating in the evening helps relax inner tension before going to sleep.

Ephesians 4:26-27 says, Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.

Paul says to remain in constant prayer in the epistles. So, even though we’re called to pray throughout our day, meditating in the evening (just before bed) helps ease any stress, anger, and emotional wounds from earlier in the day. Even if it’s 5 minutes before you get in bed, it will clear your mind, body, and spirit from mental discontentment and emotional discomfort.

Meditate on God’s goodness and thank Him for new mercies. Journal about what you’re grateful for. Talk to God about the highlight and lowlight of your day. It doesn’t have to be long, but it needs to be reflective. You could do this while you undo your bed.

Routines = Results

“Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us.” Richie Norton

Having intentional morning and evening routines is freeing.

• It frees you from stress and sets you up for success.
• It frees you from being purposeless and steers you into living out your dreams.
• It frees you from hurting yourself and directs your path towards healing.
• It instigates your dreams into reality.

Having a routine is the most fundamental piece to self-improvement. That’s why so many people specialize in it nowadays. We have physical, emotional, and spiritual therapists. We have life coaches and mentors. Every single one of them would say, “I could help you, but it starts with you.” You’ve got to put some effort into your routines and be intentional in order to get the results you want.

Routines help you produce results.

Results boost your confidence.

Confidence steers your passion and purpose.

The more confidence you have, the clearer your purpose is. So start with an intentional routine.

Skyrocket Your Confidence

One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.

Paulo Coelho

If your current bedtime is 11:00 PM, go to bed at 10.

At 9:00 PM, put your phone away and unwind. Take a few moments to think about your day, write a couple of things you want to do tomorrow morning, and pick up a book and learn something new. (Physical care).

Readers today = leaders tomorrow.

Meditate, pray, and/or journal. Clear your mind from the day’s wounds, stress, and frustrations. (Emotional and spiritual care).

Do this for one week. You’ll see a big difference! The you that will wake up tomorrow morning will be different from the you going to sleep right now. How you unwind and ease into your resting state will affect your energy and confidence tomorrow. Take the time to implement this for one week and compare day 1 to day 7.

Routines = results.

• Turn your phone off 2 hours before going to bed
• Read & Learn
• Write 2-3 things you want to do tomorrow morning
• Meditate
• Go to bed 1 hour earlier than usual.

YOU GOT THIS!