009: The healthiest hack for your year ahead
It's not a new supplement or workout...
Welcome to 2026! Hope you’re jumping back into the swing of things after a wonderful holiday season. I took a bit of a break, which tends to leave me feeling both rested and anxious. As in, I feel restored, but have trouble sitting still for too long without a tiny voice creeping in to nag that I should be doing… something.
If you read my post last month, you already know that January is not the time to kick off successful resolutions. So what should you do with this time instead? Sleep.
Before you roll your eyes or hit delete on this newsletter, stay with me. Sleep is the one thing that can amplify every other goal you have. It’s critical for every bodily function, memory, mood, metabolism—but about one third of adults don’t get enough of it.
So while I don’t think you should kick off any big resolutions right now, I do think winter is an ideal time to work on getting more sleep. It’s darker earlier, colder, and we’re more naturally attuned to cocooning inside. So below, I’m outlining some actionable ways you can truly, honestly, try to improve your sleeping habits this year.
Over the years, I’ve written/edited an overabundance of sleep content. And I’m guessing you can probably recite a lot of the basics: Dark room, extra cool, no phones before bed, go to bed and wake up at the same time daily, avoid alcohol/caffeine 4-6 hours before bed, don’t watch/read things that make you super anxious, and get sunlight right away in the AM.
So assuming you’ve already mastered all of that (or at least, you’re aware you should be doing it…), here are a few more practical tips:
Before you get into bed…
Aim for 10-15 minutes earlier. Don’t overhaul your routine and try to go from an 11pm to a 9pm bedtime in one night. Just get to bed 10-15 minutes earlier each week. Use the wind down feature on your phone (or just set an alarm!) to remind you when you should start getting ready for bed (and then do it). 15 minutes isn’t that hard to cut. Once that’s comfortable, see if you can cut another 15, and so forth until you’ve reached your desired bedtime. (Not joking when I say that you will feel a 30 minute difference in the morning.)
Do something boring. You already know you shouldn’t be on your phone. Reading a book is a good idea—but only if it’s tedious. Yawn-worthy ideas: Listen to a podcast in a foreign language; listen to bedtime stories on a meditation app (caveat: Only listen to podcasts if you trust yourself to not get sidetracked and start doing other things); read a book on a topic you’re only marginally interested in; experts also suggest reading things like terms and conditions, user manuals, or financial disclosure docs.
A quick aside about the phone rule: We’ve all read the alarmist headlines about the dangers of blue light at night…. and the more nuanced recent science. Realistically, putting my phone down a full hour before bed feels like an impossibility. The key is winding down your brain. Stop processing, start calming. Don’t read distressing news. No doomscrolling. Play a crossword, a low stimulation game, look at old happy photos.
Jot it down. Writing down your top to-dos for tomorrow, or whatever is worrying you can be genuinely helpful, science says. Making a “worry list” can also be beneficial if you’re prone to overthinking minutiae. Assure yourself that you will tackle these things bright and early in the morning.
Once you get into bed…
If you can’t sleep, get up for 20 minutes. I love this rule because it gives you permission to try again. If you’re trying a new sleep routine, inevitably, you’ll hit a night where you can’t fall asleep. Rather than staying in bed, frustrated, get up. Look out the window. Read those boring documents. Take a sip of water. A small dose of melatonin or magnesium. Then head back to bed. And try….
Cognitive shuffling. This is my favorite technique that has helped me immensely in falling asleep fast when I have a lot on my mind. There are a couple of ways you can do this, but the method I like: Think of a neutral word, say, “flower.” Now go letter by letter and think of all the words that start with that letter. So start with “F” (funny, fortune, fickle, etc.), and when you’ve exhausted all the “F” words you know, move to “L” (love, lucky, lucid, etc.) and so forth. I never get through a full word.
Create a morning routine you really, genuinely like. A solid morning routine can set the tone for your day, and help you get to bed on time each night. But here’s the catch: You must look forward to it. So whether you enjoy drinking your coffee in silence, your workout, watching the birds outside your window—mean it. But if you literally can’t think of anything…
Focus on the finish line. There are plenty of days I’d rather stay in bed than get up super early to do my workout, write, and get ready before my family wakes. But I love how amazing I feel once I’ve done all that. So I focus on that smug satisfaction. And…
Don’t overthink it. I’m a huge fan of Mel Robbins’s 5-second rule. For anything you don’t want to do, count backwards (5-4-3-2-1); then force yourself to physically move and do it. Remember, motivation is a hoax. Habits are real.
What works for you? Leave it in the comments. And sweet dreams!