The 10–3–2–1–0 Bedtime Routine for More Productive Mornings

The world’s most successful and productive people believe and preach that success depends on a morning ritual. I will not deny it.

However, it is difficult to stick to morning routines because they are elaborate, complicated, and require an immense will/commitment to follow.

Here’s why I say so.

Getting up at 5 A.M. and meditating is recommended by one person, while another believes that exercising and journaling in the mornings are the keys to maximizing productivity.

Using these productivity tips is a no-brainer. The number of steps is the issue. A herculean effort is required even if you memorize these tasks.

In his book “The Perfect Day,” author Craig Ballantyne asserts — “the perfect morning actually begins with a bedtime routine,” which struck a chord.

His evening formula of 10–3–2–1–0 is simple to remember, follow, and stick to for the rest of your life. More importantly, you don’t need a strong will or a commitment. Just a few minor tweaks to your evening routine!

For the past three years, I’ve been following this evening routine. As a result, I’ve never had a sluggish start to the day. A lack of energy and motivation has never been an issue. As a bonus, I overcame sleep deprivation and “morning performance anxiety” at bedtime.

I’m confident you’ll get better sleep, increased productivity, and energized mornings from this 10–3–2–1–0 evening formula.

10 Hours Before Bed — No Caffeine

Scientific evidence suggests that drinking 200mg of caffeine (approx. 2 cups of coffee) six hours before bedtime can also cost you an hour of quality night sleep.

Sleep stages 3 and 4 (the deepest stage of sleep) are negatively affected by caffeine’s adenosine blockade, which also increases sleep latency (the time you take to fall asleep). However, the effects on REM sleep appear to be less pronounced.

So, what time should you be aiming for exactly?

Research says that caffeine has a half-life of roughly five hours in the plasma of healthy people. However, eliminating the half-life of caffeine can range from 1.5 to 9.5 hours, depending on genes, age, and personal experiences.

So a 10-hour window is usually sufficient for most people.

Here’s why:

According to an EEG (Electroencephalogram)study published in the Neurology journal, caffeine causes more sleep disturbances in middle-aged adults than younger ones.

In addition, genes play a role in how caffeine affects your body. Genetic predispositions, such as the DARPP-32 gene and the ADA polymorphism, have been linked to sleep quality in another study.

As a result, genetics can play a role in your caffeine tolerance.

That’s why people who have trouble sleeping at night should consider the 10-hour abstinence rule. This tip may not be necessary for non-insomniacs. As previously stated, lifestyle, gene composition, and personal tolerance influence sleep as much as anything else. So, adjust your coffee hours to suit your needs.

Tip: As a caffeine substitute, you can also experiment with other herbal teas, such as chamomile, valerian root, lavender, lemon balm, passionflower, etc., that have been scientifically shown to help you get quality sleep.

3 Hours Before Bed — No Alcohol

It’s a common feeling that ten sips of wine or beer before bedtime helps you sleep faster after a busy day. It’s because alcohol depresses the central nervous system that slows down your brain’s activity, and creates a sedative effect helping you relax and feel drowsy.

Nonetheless, you’re being deprived of a good night’s sleep due to the effects of alcohol-induced sleep!

Here’s why and how.

According to Sleep Foundation, your night sleep is divided into stages/cycles. Deep, peaceful sleep is more common in the first few hours, but it drops significantly in the second half. As the night progresses, REM (dreaming sleep) takes over — means less deep sleep.

If you have alcohol in your system when you go to bed, you may not sleep very deeply for very long periods. You may wake up in the middle of the night when the sleepy effect of alcohol wears off due to metabolism.

“Alcohol in your system puts you in lighter stages of sleep, which increases the rapid eye movement (REM) and stops you from achieving the deep sleep you require.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, alcohol has been linked to many sleep disorders, including nightmares, sleepwalking, parasomnias, sleep apnea, and breathing issues.

Even if you somehow survived these side effects of alcohol, you can’t escape from the next one.

You will feel sleepy, groggy, and irritable the following morning. Your body will try to make up for the loss of quality sleep you didn’t get, and your alertness, focus, and motivation may suffer as a result.

So, as experts recommend, the safe window to consume alcohol (if you have to) before bedtime is 3–4 hours.

2 Hours Before Sleep — No Work

Coffee and food consumption can be measured objectively, but “work” is a little more subjective and difficult to pin down in the same way.

It’s a guilty pleasure for many people to check their email late at night in the hopes of finding an urgent issue at the office that needs their immediate attention.

One last email!

Just one reply!

One final phone call!

Sounds tempting, I know!

But, it is a terrible idea to fight against your circadian clock.

In this day and age, where people work 70–80 hours per week juggling a 9–5 job and a side hustle, it is common to struggle to wind down at the end of the day. That’s why you should avoid working two hours before bedtime to recharge the mental and physical battery properly.

Your ability to be productive the following day is dependent on your state of mind before going to bed.

Every piece of unfinished work accelerates the thought process and causes the brain to become hyperactive. You begin to obsess over the tasks and to-dos that remain unfinished, and you become more anxious. When the mind becomes restless and stressed, it can never sleep peacefully at night.

Here’s What I Do 2 Hours Before Bedtime:

Create only “three” tasks to be done in the morning. Anything more than 3 is overambitious and unachievable, while under 3 is laziness. This activity prevented bedtime performance anxiety and morning overwhelm.

Set the thermostat to 18 degrees Celsius. I found this hack from “The Sleep Foundation” — “Turning down the thermostat at night may assist regulate your body temperature and inform your body that it’s time to go to sleep.”

Jot down all the pending work from the day and prioritize them for the next day.

Do a brain dump on a piece of paper that creates a soothing effect on my mind.

Select next day’s clothes and prep up my morning breakfast.

To get a good night’s rest, ensure that my bedroom is free of light and noise.

1 Hour Before Bed — Cut Off From Digital Media

Though the prevalence of screens everywhere is a relatively recent phenomenon, there are unlimited shreds of evidence supporting the benefits of restricting your screen time.

But, let’s review a few dangers of screen-time before sleep to find our motives:

Research says that violent games stimulate your brain psychologically and increase your heart rate.

The majority of social media and streaming apps are designed to make you addicted to binge-watching. Learn more about it in the documentary “The Social Dilemma.” In this context, when you realize how little time you have to sleep, your mind becomes more anxious and prevents sleep.

Screens emit light impact your biology — it suppresses your Melatonin levels and disrupts your circadian rhythm. You can read more about this topic in the research published in NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) titled — “Effects of Light on Human Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Mood.”

Here’s What Helped Me Keep Screens at Bay 1 Hour Before Sleep:

Relocate the charging dock away from the bed. This tweak prevents you from checking your phone before sleep and after waking up.

Traditional alarm clocks with nightlights are lifesavers. They avoid the temptation of checking the time on your phone.

Meditate

Read biographies. They enrich the subconscious mind with inspiration to wake up with a “go for it” attitude. (No e-reading or kindle books — “The light-emitting eReaders negatively affect sleep quality, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness.”)

Listen to audiobooks on Google Home. This hack prevented me from touching phones.

DND (Do Not Disturb) all of the electronic devices.

Journalling. Reflect on your day.