As much as we’d like to think that each morning marks a new beginning, our productivity in a day is determined by what we do the night before. Therefore, I’ve decided to share the best night routines for students to follow to guarantee greater productivity each day.

As a student myself, I know how heavy workload and stress can make it easy to neglect having good nighttime habits. If you’re a bit of a workaholic like me, you may tell yourself things like, “I just need to finish a couple more homework questions. Besides, I’ve stayed up later.”

Or, you may tell yourself something like, “I’ve worked hard today. I deserve to watch an episode of Netflix before bed” (which probably ends up being several episodes””I’ve been guilty of this too).

However, neglecting to have healthy nightly routines is a major problem, as you’ll see below.

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Why is it so important to follow healthy nightly routines?

#1: Sleep Debt Sucks

If you don’t stick to healthy nighttime habits, you’ll miss out on quality sleep. As much as we’d like to think that sleeping in on weekends replenishes the sleep we miss out on during the week, that’s not how our bodies work.

Even when we miss out on as little as 30 minutes of sleep a day, the lost time gets added to something called sleep debt. Sleep debt is exactly what it sounds like””the difference between the amount of sleep you need and the amount of sleep you’ve gotten.

According to research, it can take up to 4 days to recover from just 1 hour of sleep debt. During the time that we have accumulated sleep debt, our bodies cannot function at their optimal level.

If we’re not functioning at our optimal level, we can’t be our most productive selves or do our best work. Therefore, it’s essential to have healthy nighttime habits that prepare you for a good night’s sleep.

In the long run, it’s not worth staying up super late or pulling an all-nighter to work on an assignment or study for a test (unless you really did procrastinate until the last minute and the assignment/test is worth a great portion of your class grade). Otherwise, losing sleep to do extra work or watch Netflix is not worth the long-term degradation of your mental and physical capabilities.

#2: You’ll Feel Less Stressed

Another reason you need to have healthy nightly routines is because they can make you feel less stressed. However, you may be thinking, “Why should I take time for nightly routines if I’m already so busy with school? Won’t they just make me more stressed?”

I used to have this mindset as well. However, since sticking to certain nighttime habits, I’ve found that I’ve actually reduced my stress levels.

Before following my current night routine, I would often go to bed stressed. I found it difficult to fall asleep because I’d constantly be thinking about the next day and the work I needed to get done.

However, at the same time, my brain would be telling me, “You need to sleep or else you’ll be tired tomorrow!” Unfortunately, this just made me more stressed.

Since sticking to certain nighttime habits, however, I’ve resolved the issue of going to bed stressed. And I’m here to tell you that you can too!

So without further delay, let’s get into the best night routines for students to reduce stress and increase productivity!

Productive Night Routine #1: Organize your backpack

The night before, you should put whatever you need the next day into your backpack.

First, check assignment deadlines to ensure you have all your assignments. Next, check your class schedule to ensure you have all the necessary class materials. Finally, make sure to pack essentials, like stationery, devices, and snacks.

Productive Night Routine #2: Prepare your outfit

Preparing your outfit the night before will save you time and stress the next morning. Make sure to check the weather before selecting what to wear!

Productive Night Routine #3: Create a to-do list

You may be thinking, “Why should I create a to-do list for the next day the night before?” However, this is a common nighttime habit of highly successful people.

Writing down what you want to accomplish the next day helps you de-stress. This is because knowing exactly what you’ll do the next day keeps your mind off of work. Consequently, you’ll fall asleep faster and get a better night’s sleep. Additionally, you’ll start the next day with an immediate sense of purpose.

On the other hand, if you don’t create a to-do list, you’ll go to bed with your mind buzzing about all the work you need to get done.

You may also like “9 Guaranteed Ways to Overcome Procrastination for Students”

Productive Night Routine #4: Time block the next day

In addition to creating a to-do list, one of the best night routines for students to de-stress is time blocking the next day. If you’re not familiar with time blocking, it’s basically designating specific periods of time to specific tasks.

I use Google Calendar to time block (here’s the helpful Youtube tutorial I followed) and typically time block my schedule a week in advance. However, if you’re not comfortable with time blocking yet, you can start by setting aside 10 minutes each day to time block the next day.

my time blocked Google Calendar

First, I add all obligatory events (classes, meals, social events, etc.). Then, I schedule homework/study time around these events.

Of course, it’s not always possible to follow a time-blocked schedule strictly. However, time blocking will give you a realistic idea of what you can accomplish.

We often fall into the trap of creating unrealistic to-do lists for ourselves. Unfortunately, this means that we get used to not being able to complete our to-do lists, which leads to chronic procrastination.

Fortunately, you can avoid this by time blocking your schedule. Doing so will help you manage a realistic workload and stay on task every day, thus defeating the procrastination monster.

Productive Night Routine #5: Follow a hygiene routine

As students, our hectic schedules often cause us to neglect self-care. However, it’s important to realize that taking time for self-care is not time wasted that could have been spent doing work! Taking time for self-care is productive because, in order to do work, we need to take care of the vessel of that work””our bodies!

Therefore, one of the best night routines for students is taking time to follow a hygiene routine. Take a shower, brush your teeth thoroughly, follow a skincare routine, and do anything else that’s important for your health and hygiene.

Personally, I shower in the evening after a study session to clear my mind. Additionally, I follow a careful skincare routine to cleanse my skin and keep it nourished. I also set a timer for two minutes when brushing my teeth.

Productive Night Routine #6: Journal

I’ll admit, if you’d told me a few months ago, “Journaling is one of the best night routines for students to de-stress!” I’d scoff at the statement. It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried journaling in the past; it was just that daily journaling felt like more of a chore than a beneficial habit.

However, since learning to journal the right way, I’ve experienced many benefits, including greater clarity on my life, increased personal growth, and release of negative emotions.

my journaling page in Notion

Here are topics you can journal about to become more productive and less stressed:

• What you accomplished during the day
• Your plans for the next day
• Something you’re grateful for
• How you’re feeling and why

You may also like “11 Before Bed Journal Prompts for Better Sleep & Productivity”

Productive Night Routine #7: Put away electronic devices

I know the temptation to scroll through social media, watch Youtube, or seek other sources of digital entertainment is very strong at the end of a long work day. However, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t allow yourself to do these things. Rather, I’m saying that you can do these things, but not within a half hour before going to bed.

There’s a simple scientific reason using electronic devices shortly before bed is bad. Our electronic devices emit something called blue light, which reduces melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone that controls our sleep-wake cycle, so as you can imagine, blue light exposure hurts the quality of our sleep.

Additionally, checking digital notifications before bed heightens our alertness when we should be preparing ourselves for rest. Therefore, it’s essential to put your electronic devices away at least a half hour before bedtime. If the temptation is truly overwhelming, put your devices in an inconvenient place for you to access. Wherever that place may be, it should not be in your bedroom.

Productive Night Routine #8: Read a book

Another great nighttime habit is reading for 20-60 minutes before going to bed. Reading isn’t just good for making you a more knowledgeable and empathetic person. According to research, reading can also help you transition into a relaxed state and may even improve sleep quality.

However, you should try to read a physical book, rather than an ebook, whenever you can. (Remember, blue light is harmful to sleep quality!)

Reading a book before bed is one of my favorite nighttime routines because it helps me feel cozy and relaxed after a long day.

Additionally, I enjoy putting on some quiet music (typically classical) and lighting a candle to set the mood. (If you light a candle, just make sure to blow it out before going to sleep”¦ I’ve neglected to do this and gotten yelled at for potentially “burning down the house”.)

Productive Night Routine #9: Shut the lights and clear your mind

Ironically, going to sleep used to be the part of my night routine that I struggled with the most. Sometimes, I would stay up reading if I was completely engrossed in a book. Other times, I would struggle with falling asleep because my mind kept thinking about work.

The latter is something I no longer struggle with because I now stick to nighttime routines, like creating a to-do list, time blocking, and journaling. Following these routines helps keep my mind off of work.

However, I must admit that the former is something I sometimes still struggle with. Whenever I feel tempted to stay up later than my usual bedtime, however, I remind myself that it’s not worth accumulating sleep debt and compromising my productivity.

Lastly, when you close the lights, you should clear your mind and embrace feelings of calmness and relaxation. According to Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty (a former monk who is now a life coach and public figure), how you feel when you fall asleep is how you feel when you wake up the next morning.

Therefore, the nighttime routines you follow really do determine your mood and productivity the next day!

Final Takeaways on Best Night Routines for Students

In the past, I put little emphasis on sticking to healthy nighttime habits. I would often get caught up in work or various distractions (Youtube, I’m looking at you) and never realized how my physical health and productivity were being compromised.

However, since prioritizing the 9 nighttime routines I talked about in this article, I’ve experienced significant benefits to my mood and productivity.

By organizing my backpack, preparing an outfit, creating a to-do list, and time blocking, I can go to bed without stressing over work. Plus, I wake up the next morning with an immediate sense of organization and purpose.

By taking my time to follow a hygiene routine, journal, put away electronic devices, and read, I’m able to release negative emotions and transition into a more relaxed state. Consequently, I get higher quality sleep.

Lastly, by sticking to a set bedtime, I’m able to get enough rest to be energized and productive the next day.

Now, it’s time to start incorporating these 9 nighttime routines into your schedule to optimize your productivity!

Also, make sure to check out these related posts:

• Productive Day Schedule for Student””Be Productive 12+ Hours a Day!
• 9 Guaranteed Ways to Overcome Procrastination for Students
• 11 Before Bed Journal Prompts for Better Sleep & Productivity

Lastly, don’t forget to snag my free undated monthly planner, which you can use any time of the year!

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