I have had the pleasure in my career of working with some of the best reps in the industry. Most of them are very disciplined in how they approach their days. Yesterday I was chatting with one of the best of them. He told me of a ritual he does every night- right before he goes to bed- that I thought might be helpful to us all.

1. Review your to-do-list – Of course this means you must have a to-do-list. So if you don’t have one maybe you can start by creating one. However, reviewing it the night before gets you mentally prepared for the next day. It also gives you a chance to prioritize and add or subtract tasks as needed.
2. Do a Brain Dump– If your thoughts are running wild, write them down, Once you get them on paper you will find that your brain settles down and you can rest more easily.
3. Turn off electronics 2 hours before bed time– This he says is essential. Unplug yourself and you will see that your ability to focus on the present will increase and when it is time for bed you will be better able to focus on the above mentioned activities.
4. Give yourself the time to do this – At least 20 minutes is needed for the above. So don’t watch TV until you fall asleep. Take the 20 minutes to decompress…focus on your list and get your thoughts on paper. If you do you will see a different you when you wake the next day.

Any new habit takes practice. It is said if you do something every day for 30 days it becomes a habit. Give this a try and see how each day becomes more productive and each night a bit more restful.