You’d think that after 54 years, I’d know better than to start something right before bed and think, “It’ll take just five minutes.”
That’s usually when I lose track of time and the next time I look up, it is well past midnight, having overshot the estimated “five minutes” by about twenty times.
We all know that when we get ready for bed, we should be aiming to wind down to a relaxed state, to lead to a more restful sleep.
But sometimes it doesn’t take much to fall down the rabbit hole, stirring up one’s enthusiasm (or emotions) and messing up those plans.
Here they are, my 50 things that I suggest should not be done immediately before bedtime:
1. Calling a cellular/TV/Internet carrier
2. Tinkering with electronics
3. Downloading or updating apps… that’s usually when there will be technical problems like a device freezing up or a time-consuming reboot is required.
4. Learning to play a new electronic game
5. Checking out TV channels you don’t usually watch
6. Previewing the binge-worthy show everyone recommends highly
7. Watching cute pet videos
8. Watching funny baby videos
9. Watching music videos
10. Watching videos of people doing embarrassing things
11. Watching a captivating detective series
12. Performing Ancestry research
13. Cleaning
14. Decluttering
15. Wondering if that crack or that spot on the ceiling has always been there
16. Trying to figure out the probable causes for any given situation
17. Starting a craft project, even supposed a quick one
18. Reading recipes
19. Starting a recipe, even a supposed quick one
20. Eating a big meal or a big snack.. or sampling a recipe you just tried, because you’re up way past your bedtime and starved
21. Consuming anything caffeinated
22. Worrying about how the weather may impact an important event
23. Reading a side-splitting, hysterically funny book. It’s a nice way to end the day, but it’s too easy to start a cycle of remembering the funny parts and keeping yourself awake laughing long after you have closed the book.
24. Watching or reading a psychological thriller
25. Imagining how the furniture would look in different spots
26. Getting up and actually moving the furniture
27. Looking at old photos
28. Walking down memory lane
29. Starting to write a difficult email/letter
30. Checking out catalogues of any kind
31. Checking out an online retailer for ONE item…
32. Comparison shopping online
33. Checking out online news sources
34. Reading the comments posted after the news items
35. Worrying about the traffic or public transit issues you’ll probably have to deal with in the morning
36. Thinking about an upcoming event that causes butterflies or knots in your stomach
37. Thinking about how you could have better handled a situation
38. Thinking about a better comeback when someone said something nasty
39. Planning your future
40. Problem solving and weighing pros and cons.
41. Planning a trip
42. Booking a trip
43. Figuring out what to bring on a trip
44. Worrying that the time between flights might not be enough in case of a delay or technical problem
45. Fixing things that seemingly don’t want to be fixed
46. Working out. I don’t know if most people are the same, but working out in the evening is guaranteed to keep me awake for hours, and then stressed at still being up way past my bedtime.
47. Watching other people engaging in vigourous activity, like running to catch a flight on “The Amazing Race”
48. Taking care of anything that “should take only 5 minutes”. It seldom does.
49. Pondering the meaning of life
50. Starting a blog post… like this one!
To me, the best thing to do before bed is to read something very light, not too topical and that doesn’t stir up strong emotions.
Also, instead of counting sheep, counting the many things for which I am grateful is another great way to end the day and to drift off.
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Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André
