8 Productive Night Habits for an Easy Morning

Did you know that the secret to a good day actually starts the night before? By taking the time to thoughtfully and carefully plan out some productive night habits, you can set yourself up for an incredible and stress-free morning the next day!

When trying to set yourself up for a good day, it is essential that you think ahead and begin prepping the night before.

Whether you take a shower, lay out your outfit, or just quickly plan your day, taking the time to think ahead and plan for the next morning can save you LOADS of stress when you wake up the next morning.

We all know that having a productive morning routine is important for setting your mood and the tone for your day. But what we often forget is that that productive morning BEGINS the night before. By adding just a few simple, productive night habits into my everyday nighttime routine I have noticed a huge improvement in my morning mood, stress level, and motivation.

You will be able to get so much more done when you take a few minutes to set yourself up for an easier morning the night before.

With just a few quick and simple night habits, you can banish the morning overwhelm for good.

This post is all about the best productive night habits to prepare for a better morning. 

8 Productive Night Habits to Prepare for an Easy Morning

Productive Night Habit 1: Take a Shower

Why do I feel like this is a highly controversial topic? We have our night shower-ers and our morning shower-ers and they rarely stray from that title. LOL!

I, personally, used to be a morning shower person… and I don’t know how I did it to be honest. Look, I love self-care showers and I love taking my sweet time, daydreaming, setting goals, and having made-up conversations with my future husband for hours, okay?! I just don’t have time for that in the morning.

No, but in all seriousness, I do love to use my showers as a time to wind down at the end of the day. To me, it signifies the shift from productive work mode to relaxation self-care mode. It’s the gateway between the two. But that’s not the only reason I love to shower at night.

Showering at night is one of my key night habits for an easier morning. When I shower at night, I love how I wake up clean, refreshed, and ready to go. There’s no need to spend the time showering, drying off, waiting for your hair to dry, etc. You are just ready to go!

If you hop in the shower in the morning for a quick wake-up and energy boost, I get you! If that works for you, totally keep at it! Some people love a cold shower to jump-start their morning!

But I HIGHLY recommend making it a nighttime habit to get your “actual” shower done the night before. By this I mean the actual hair wash, body scrub shower! That way you are squeaky clean and ready to roll when morning comes around!

I love this one because it is such a simple productive night habit that can set you up for a better morning!

Productive Night Habit 2: Pick Out an Outfit

There is NOTHING worse than getting up in the morning and wasting half an hour trying on clothes, looking for a good outfit for your day. Talk about wasted time! Not to mention, this always puts me in a bad mood too! That’s no way to start a successful and productive day!

This is even more valuable when you know you are doing something “important” the next day.

For example, if you have:

• a meeting
• work
• plans with friends
• a family gathering
• specific errands to run
• etc.

this is ESSENTIAL in ensuring your morning is stress-free and seamless.

You can plan outfits in many different ways! I like to keep a list of past outfits on my phone or take a picture of an outfit and keep it in a folder on my phone!

You can also take some time at night to try on an outfit and physically lay it out for the next day! This might be the best option for having an easier morning because then it is, quite literally, ready to go! Clean, fresh, and ready for you to grab and put on! Doesn’t get much easier than that!

Taking the time to pick out an outfit is a game-changer night routine habit for a better morning! Test it out!

Productive Night Habit 3: Plan Your Day (Quickly)

Planning your day at night is great because it can be so quick and make such a huge difference in the morning. I love to plan my days more thoroughly in the morning but having a rough plan to build off of just makes my morning planning so much easier!

(I have an in-depth post all about the planner I’ve been using. In this, I break down everything you need to know about the Sugar Paper planner and I give my total honest opinions.)

In my planner, I will use my weekly overview plan to jot down some specific to-dos and reminders for the next day! This is one of the main reasons I LOVE planners that have bulleted to-do lists on the daily pages. That way, I can keep my to-dos super organized and can cross them off as I go!

If you are looking for a FREE way to do this (I feel you), I also have lots of free printables all about planning and productivity! Feel free (no pun intended 😉 ) to grab as many as you need! They are sure to help get you started!

Productive Night Habit 4: Prep Your Coffee for the Morning

Good coffee is the key to having a good morning, am I right?

If you’re like me and NEED your coffee in the morning, do yourself a favor and prep it the night before. I do this by cleaning the machine, adding the beans, water, and a fresh filter to my coffee maker at night so all I have to do in the morning is push a button and wait for my fresh cup to brew! Every single morning I am so glad that it is all prepped and ready. It is seriously a dream.

Trust me, just adding this one simple habit into your night routine will make your mornings so much happier! You’ll be jumping out of bed! 😉

This is the newer version of my coffee maker! I SWEAR BY IT! Seriously the best if you are a coffee lover like me! 

{RELATED POST: How to Make Better-Than-Starbucks Coffee At Home}

Productive Night Habit 5: Prep Breakfast

Simple and easy breakfasts are the way to go when you want to have a successful and productive morning. So many people think that in order to have a delicious breakfast, you need time to slave in the kitchen in the morning… NOT TRUE!

Some of my all-time favorite breakfasts can be prepped the night before OR are just a simple grab-and-go. No time needed!

Easy and Quick Breakfast Ideas:

Overnight Oats (So many varieties!)

Egg Cups (Even better than Starbucks!)

Smoothie (Can prep your fruit ahead of time!)

Yogurt Cup (Greek yogurt with some berries and granola… YUM!)

Protein Bar (Built Bars are my go-to. Use my code “AUTHENTICALLYDEL” for 10% off)

I never used to be a meal-prepper, but once I added a quick breakfast prep into my night habits, I was blown away by how much extra time I had in the morning.

If you have your doubts about meal prep too you’re going to just have to trust me on this. Try adopting a little breakfast prep into your productive night routine and I’m willing to bet that you’ll see some improvements in your morning!

Productive Night Habit 6: Set a Bedtime

The idea of having a “bedtime” can feel so childish but it really is the most productive night habit you can have. Setting yourself a bedtime that allows you the opportunity to get enough sleep is essential for your overall wellness, health, productivity, success, and happiness.

Professionals say that getting enough quality sleep is just as important for your health as your diet and exercise routine. Not to mention, it is imperative for mental clarity and sets you up for a happier, easier, more productive morning routine.

When you set a bedtime, you set healthy sleep habits for your body. By going to bed at a similar time every night (or at least every weeknight), your body’s circadian rhythm can normalize and function optimally. This includes dimming your lights, limiting your screen time, and prepping your body for bed at a similar hour.

When choosing your bedtime, it is also important to remember that healthy adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep. When you know you have to wake up at a specific time the next day, plan ahead and schedule your bedtime accordingly.

For example, if I know I have to wake up at 7 am, I will plan to start winding down at 10 pm with the goal of being fully asleep by 11. That allows me 8 hours of quality sleep.

If you need a little extra help getting into the groove of this, I started by setting reminders on my phone to start winding down. Then I would schedule my phone to go into “Do Not Disturb” mode so I could put it away and focus on getting to sleep.

This is one of my absolute favorite productive night habits for an easier morning because it requires little to no effort… literally all you need to do is SLEEP. Count me in!

Productive Night Habit 7: Set Thoughtful Alarms

This productive night habit goes without saying. Setting your alarms at the proper times is vital for a successful morning. Naturally… that is just common sense.

But what if I told you it’s more than just setting an alarm for the time you need to get up? 

Setting thoughtful, intentional, and well-planned alarms for one of the best night habits for an easier morning. Hear me out…

Set Your Alarm Earlier Than You Need To

What if you actually planned to get up earlier than you “need” to get up? Even just 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes earlier? Think of all the extra time you could have in the morning!

Making this small adjustment to your night routine can help you prepare for a morning of ease and zero stress!

I always love to just mentally tell myself that the time I “need” to get up is about 30 minutes earlier than when I actually need to. That way, I have some extra time in my morning to enjoy my coffee, eat some breakfast, and, in case of any unforeseen events or issues, I have those extra 30 minutes so I don’t need to stress!

Set Your Alarm Tune as a Song

The best alarm tune to wake up to has been studied and debated by scientists and sleep experts. These find all seem to be consistent:

THE HARSH ALARM TUNES NEED TO GO!

Studies have found that the standard ear-piercing “beep beep beep” alarm sound can actually be harmful to wake up to as they may actually increase morning grogginess and heighten stress levels.  Scientists have said that this can actually harm your work performance and productivity for up to four hours! Yikes!!

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Alternatively, it’s been found that waking up to a song as your alarm is one of the best ways to wake. Music helps to gently transition your brain from a sleeping to an awake state in a less harsh and jarring way. This actually can boost productivity and mood!

Plus, who doesn’t want to wake up to some good tunes?!

Some of the best songs are ones that start soft and gentle and transition into upbeat and energetic.

Do yourself a favor and add these two alarm swaps to your night habits to prepare for a more productive morning!

Productive Night Habit 8: Tidy Up!

This is another habit with multiple levels. Taking the time to tidy up is a crucial productive night habit to adopt… here’s why.

1. You sleep better in a clean room

It’s true. A tidy and uncluttered area is directly linked to better sleep. Having a cluttered area as you are trying to fall asleep can subconsciously lead to cluttered thoughts and, as a result, poor sleep.

2. Your environment is healthier for sleeping

There have been studies that prove that a room that is tidied and cleaned routinely is better for sleeping in… for health reasons!

When your room is kept clean, there are less harmful dust and allergens in the air! Poor air quality can actually be a cause of poor sleep without you even knowing it… and poor sleep isn’t going to help anyone have a productive morning the next day! Big no-no!

3. You can wake up organized and prepared

This is the most obvious of the 3 reasons to tidy up your room at night to prepare for the morning. When you are organized and have your space in order, you can start your day feeling refreshed and prepared.

There is nothing worse than waking up in a messy room. It instantly kills your mood and can actually stifle your productivity levels too.

On the other hand, waking up to a bright, organized, and tidy room can be the most incredible feeling when you first open your eyes! I know for me, personally, it makes me feel motivated and like I really have my stuff together. I keep that attitude with me throughout the day, too. It really just sets the tone and gets my morning started on the right foot.

Those are 8 easy productive night habits to prepare for morning! 

Now that you know that the fate of your morning really starts the night before, you have no excuse but to not implement these nighttime habits into your everyday night routine! By just making a few subtle changes to your night habits, you can prepare for an incredible and stress-free morning!

XOXO,

Del