The Simplest Way to Get More Things Done This School Year

As a new school year launches, I know many of us are trying to shake off the cobwebs and get back into a routine, a schedule. Maybe we’ve gone soft over the summer and we know we need to get back on whatever horse we need to get on.

Let me offer a simple piece of advice that I believe will help you get more things done this school year. It will make you more productive, give you more energy, and help you start your day off on the right note. My advice is simply this: go to bed at 9 pm each night. Now, before you write me off as an out-of-touch spinster, this about this: what productive things happen after 9 pm? What is it that you do after 9 pm that helps you in your family or your work? There may be a few genuine night owls, but for the vast majority of us, all we’re doing after 9 pm is killing time watching tv or playing on our phone. Nothing productive is happening. All we’re wasting is time, sleep, and potential energy.

You go to bed late, you’ll tend to sleep in more, you’ll have less energy, you’ll be rushing around which increases your stress levels, and you’ll start your day feeling like you’re behind. But if you go to bed at 9 pm, you can get up at some ungodly hour like 5 am and still have a full night’s rest. You can spend unhurried time in God’s word, you can go to the gym, you can plan out your day, you can drink a cup of coffee and watch the sunrise, all things that set you up to be more productive that day.

I’m not saying it’s easy. Habits will have to change. That worthless tv show or iPhone game will have to remain unwatched or unplayed. But if you want to accomplish more this school year, go to bed at 9 pm. Try it for a week, see what happens!