Act As If · Sleep guide
What to do in the last 5 minutes before lights out, plus a trick for when you're stuck on a problem.
A busy mind keeps you up. Getting tomorrow out of your head and onto paper can help you fall asleep. And sleep helps you hold on to what you learn before bed.
01 · 4 minutes
Use paper, so you're not back on your phone. List everything you need to do tomorrow, big and small. Be specific.
Email Dana about Friday.
Pick up the dry cleaning.
Finish the first page of the report.
Why it works: In a sleep lab, people who wrote tomorrow's to-do list at bedtime fell asleep faster than people who wrote about what they had already done.
02 · 1 minute
Before lights out, read one thing you want to remember, out loud, once. Your goal sentence. A new word. A line from a book. Then sleep on it.
"When I finish my coffee, at the kitchen table, I will write for 10 minutes."
Why it works: Words played while you're truly asleep aren't remembered later. But sleep helps you keep what you learned while you were awake.
03 · For when you're stuck
Sit back in a comfy chair at home, not in bed. Think about your problem for a minute. Hold a light object, like an empty plastic cup, loosely in your hand. Close your eyes and let yourself start to fall asleep.
When it drops, the sound will wake you. Write down whatever is in your head, right away. Never try this while driving or anywhere it isn't safe to fall asleep.
Of people who briefly drifted into the first stage of sleep, about 8 in 10 found a puzzle's hidden shortcut.
Of people who stayed awake, about 3 in 10 did.
People who fell into deeper sleep lost the boost.
Why it works: Thomas Edison is said to have done this, but that story may be a legend. A 2021 study tested the idea: people rested holding a cup, and were woken if it dropped.
Try it today
Tonight, write tomorrow's list before you get into bed.
This is one piece of the Act As If Week, a free 7 day practice. Day 6 gives you one more thing to try in the minutes before sleep. It drops 11/11, and you're already on the list.