Rather than doing New Year's resolutions, I'm doing a year of mini challenges and I hope you'll join me. January's challenge is keeping a gratitude journal. Check out the video below where I explain the challenge and see the resources below. Here's to a great 2017!
Tips for Keeping a Gratitude Journal
Don't go through the motions depth over breadth get personal how would life be without certain things savor surprises don't overdo it
Well, folks, the mini challenge for February focuses on getting a month of good sleep. I'm so happy about how January's challenge went (hydration), so if you missed that one, be sure to check out the video and blog post linked below.
Benefits of Sleep
Now, there are all kinds of benefits to getting good sleep. Here are some that are pretty obvious. 1. You'll be fully rested and energized. 2. You'll be more productive. 3. You'll have a better mood and you'll be happier.
There are also some surprising benefits to getting good sleep. 1. You'll have healthier skin. 2. You'll have an easier time losing and maintaining weight. 3. You'll be less likely to get sick. 4. You can avoid certain kinds of cancer! 5. You'll have fewer headaches. 6. You'll have less anxiety. 7. You will be less likely to develop diabetes.
Crazy, right? All these benefits from getting a good night's sleep.
Your Sleep Environment
There are several things you can do to improve your sleep. Let's first focus on your sleeping environment. 1. Clean up the clutter. A messy bedroom signals to your brain that there is work left undone and prevents you from sleeping as soundly.
2. Get your room as dark as possible. Any kind of light, including an outside street light or even a night light can signal your brain to stay wake. Be sure to cover windows with curtains or blinds. If this isn't possible, wear a sleeping mask.
3. Set the temperature of your room in the range of 60–68 degrees.
4. Use a lavender scented spray or diffuser to encourage relaxation.
Daily Routines
Now, let's look at the hours leading up to sleep. Here are some things to do and not to do. 1. Expose yourself to sunlight during the day. 2. Don't consume caffeine after 2:00pm. 3. Don't drink alcohol after 7:00pm. 4. Turn off electronics at least 30 minutes before going to bed. This includes the TV and your phone. 5. Eat a light, healthy snack about 45 minutes before bed if you tend to wake up hungry in the night. 6. Establish an evening routine that signals to your body that bedtime is coming soon. For example, make a cup of hot herbal tea or take a warm bath.
Establishing a Sleep Schedule
A consistent sleep schedule will help you feel more rested over time. Here are some tips. 1. Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day... even on the weekends.
2. Try to be asleep during the hours of 10:00pm and 2:00am. This does not mean only sleeping four hours, but rather that these hours should be part of your sleep cycle in order to bring about the most restorative sleep so you awaken more rested.
See the links below for more information and tips.
So, for the month of February, I'm going to wear a sleeping mask, drink a cup of tea each night, and turn off the TV and computer at least an hour before bed. I'm also going to avoid alcohol (or at the very least not drink it after 7:00pm), and try my best to go to bed by 10:00 and wake up at 6:00.
What are your sleep goals?
Track Your Progress
Be sure to download the printable below to record your room and routine changes and track your sleep schedule. Here's to a month of great sleep!
For more detailed information about the challenge, check out the video below.
I do love my planners and these stickers make life planning so much fun. These are from Paper Loving Mommy on Etsy and fit perfectly in the Erin Condren life planner.
These also fit in the Erin Condren life planner and are made by Inktropolis on Etsy.
Another Etsy shop called Karolina's Krafts made these... perfect for the EC planners.
I love my planners. I have one that I use for blogging and YouTube planning and one that use for day-to-day stuff. Then I have a variety of notebooks for keeping track of things at work, so I do love my sticky notes. Recently, I stocked up on some supplies. The first is not a sticky note, but an essential, I think. It's correction tape. Gets ride of mistakes and canceled appointments without looking messy.
And now... tabs. This set of small tabs is in a convenient little case and the tabs can easily mark sections of a notebook to draw attention to important information or to-do reminders.
These tabs are larger and I use them in notebooks I have that have printable pages that I need to divide into sections. You can see below how I used them to create sections for my holiday planner. These stay on nicely, but are also repositionable.
These are Post-It Note Info Tab labels. They measure 3-3/8 x 2-3/4. These are not designed to be permanent, but rather to remove so your list or reminders can come out of your notebook or planner. That tab is a great reminder that the list is there. Great for to-do lists, grocery lists, etc.
These are not by Post-It. These are the Redi-Tag 4 x 6 divider sticky notes. They come in a little booklet in a variety of colors. As you can see, these provide much more space for writing any kind of list you may need to take out of your notebook to carry with you into a store, etc.
And, finally, Erin Condren has a sticky note set that snaps right into your planner. As expected, these notes are bright, bling-y, and cute. Click HERE for my referral code and get $10 off your first order. Find this product in the Accesories section.
For more detail, be sure to check out the video linked below.
I'm a recently retired college professor and freelance writer with far too many interests on the side. My blog and YouTube channel are about those interests--natural beauty and bath products, organizing, vacation planning, and trying to keep all things balanced.
