8. Put Tomorrow’s To-Do List Somewhere Other Than Your Head
The moment the room goes quiet can be the moment your mind remembers the unanswered email, the missing permission slip, and the appointment you still need to book. Writing those things down before bed can give you a place to leave them, rather than mentally rehearsing the list under the covers.
Set aside a few minutes earlier in the evening. Write down tomorrow’s important tasks and, where useful, the first small action for each one. Keep it short enough that it does not become a second work shift. For example, ‘call the office after breakfast’ is a usable reminder; a page of increasingly urgent possibilities may not be.
The purpose is to organize concerns, not to solve every problem before you are allowed to rest. NHS sleep guidance includes making a next-day list as a way to manage bedtime worries. If writing makes you more wound up, move it earlier or try a quieter routine. Persistent anxiety deserves support beyond a notebook.
