The Night Routine That Made My Mornings Feel Calm
Why 10 minutes the night before saves hours of mental spinning the next day
I know what you’re thinking.
“Planning? With ADHD? Are you serious right now?”
Trust me, I get it. Planning feels like the least ADHD-friendly activity imaginable. It’s boring. It requires executive function you don’t have. And every time you’ve tried to “plan your day,” you either spent three hours creating the perfect system or got distracted midway through.
So when I tell you that spending 10 minutes the night before planning your next day has really helped me, I need you to hear me out.
Not the kind of planning you’re thinking of
Not asking you to create a detailed schedule blocked out by the hour. Neither am I asking you to create organized task lists with color-coded priorities.
The goal is to have somewhat of an idea of what needs to be “done” tomorrow.
Think about your typical morning. You open your eyes and immediately your brain starts spinning. “What do I need to do today? Wait, didn’t I forget something yesterday? Oh god, I have that thing. When is that thing? What else was I supposed to do?”
You’re making decisions before you’ve even had coffee. Your brain is trying to prioritize while still half asleep. And by the time you’ve figured out what actually matters, you’ve already burned through your morning energy just thinking about it.