Bright Line Bedtime

In this vlog, I want to talk about how to manage the “muchness” of life, especially if you have multiple priorities—a job, family, and more—and fitting it all into your Bright life feels overwhelming. I’d like to share with you some insights I’ve gained in the past week about structuring my days, and especially my evenings.

I struggle chronically with over-busyness. Sometimes I feel like I’m just treading water and can barely keep my head above water. But recently, I talked with one of my life coaches, Clive Prout. I told him I’ve been feeling overwhelmed, but I didn’t think there were any breakthroughs possible, because I’m not willing to get rid of any of my major “buckets” of activity that I’m devoted to. I’m committed to everything: my family, my job, my body work, and more. I knew it was all too much, but didn’t think I could take any of it away.

Clive helped me realize something about how I live my Bright days, and it blew my mind that I’d never noticed this before.

The first three hours of my day, after my alarm goes off at 5:12, are strictly scheduled. I have a support call at 5:30, meditation at 6 am, then breakfast—and it goes on. I know where every minute of my morning is spent. Between 8:30 and 4:30, it’s also true; I know what I’m doing every hour.

But after 4:30, I couldn’t tell you what I’m doing. I never noticed this before, probably because I do have an evening routine. I finish up in my office, I pray, I go through a mental gratitude list, and then get in bed for my nightly readings, 5-year journal, and Nightly Checklist. It all seemed structured to me.

But I was in total denial about when all that happens. I intend to get to bed at 9:30 every night, but my Oura Ring told me I wasn’t getting to sleep until nearly 11. I was averaging only 6 hours and 22 minutes of sleep over the past several months—not enough!

Working with Clive, I realized my mornings are structured because there are people I need to work with. I’m committed to being there for them. But commitments to myself feel more flexible.

So, during my coaching call, I declared that from now on, it’s lights out at 9:30. I committed to that. Then I made a nightly office checklist to streamline my process of shutting down for the day.

The first night I did this, I thought it would take me an hour to shut down my office, but at the hour mark, I wasn’t even half done. No wonder it was taking me so long to get to bed!

Now, with the checklist, I am clearer about what needs to be done. I can get through it faster. And, because I know the lights need to be out at 9:30 p.m., no excuses, I cut corners and move faster when necessary. So now the lights are going out at 9:30 and I’m getting an hour’s more sleep. My readiness score skyrocketed, and I feel great.

For me, structure works. For this time of my life, with three teens still at home who are a priority and a career I’m devoted to, a 25-year marriage, and an aging body that needs attention, I’m committed to a lot of things these days. And structure is key.

What about people who aren’t structured? For example, people who are Ps rather than Js on the Myers-Briggs? Believe it or not, I’m one of those—a high P, which is someone who doesn’t prefer structure. I’ve learned, however, that accepting some structure in my life lets me get the things done that I need to do. Without structure, I’m flailing.

So I’ve come to prefer structure because that’s how I make things work.

I offer this to you if you’re like me, with lots of commitments, and you’re trying to live Bright and still show up for everything. For me, structure is key. My evening Bright Line bedtime is making it all work. I offer this as an anecdote and data point to see if it might feel helpful for your life as well.

FOR THIS EPISODE and MORE: https://ble.life/pjh5bd
Bright Line Bedtime | Bright Line Living | The Official Bright Line Eating Podcast