The Not-To-Do List: 2 Ways to Struggle Falling Asleep

Photo by James Wong. Written by James Wong. Engage with him on G+

Do you have trouble going to bed?

Sometimes I do. Why? Because I live a big life. Why? Because when I die, I want to be thoroughly used up.

You probably live big too, that’s why you’ll continue reading..

What’s it going to take to finally be able to drift off to sleep with ease? It begins by managing your mind.

See our mind is awesome, it’s always remembering things that didn’t get done for the day, it’s always innovating new ideas for our businesses and projects, and it’s always making sure our needs, feelings and desires, are met. If we don’t manage our mind in way that gives it peace, it won’t let us sleep.

“Not-to-do” lists are often much more handy than to-do lists. Consider, what you don’t do determines what you can do.

Here are 3 things to stop doing before bed if you want to fall asleep faster and drift away comfortably:

1) Do not read Non-Fiction before bed.

Any kind of non-fiction whether it’s self-improvement books/articles or a book about relationships will stimulate your mind and get it thinking. This will lead to your mind down a slippery slope of concerns, problems, and desired wishes that have not been delt with. And when your mind starts, it’s hard to get it to stop. Your mind will just jump from thought to thought until hours of past and it’s urgent you get sleep. Instead read fiction before bed.

2) Do not indulge in the drama.

When laying in bed, we tend to think about all things we didn’t get done for the day. Usually, we stress over it. And then we make ourselves wrong for it. This usually ends up with us looking like zombies in the morning. I’d really suggest trying an awesome experiment I’ve been practicing everyday for the past 3 weeks now. Have a pen and notebook next to you as you try to fall asleep. As soon as you think of something you didn’t do and but need to do, write it down. Continue to this till you’re completly wiped clean of all the things you’ve been needing to do in your head. Once your mind doesn’t feel responsible for remembering all things you need to do, it’ll pleasantly let you drift asleep. (Side note: This works with relationships too. You can write all things you need to say to her until you’re completely wiped clean.)

That’s it folks! Happy dreams.

Take care, love,

James

About James Wong:

James Wong experiments at the intersection of Love and Results. He writes everyday to show people how to produce incredible results using love.

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