12 things successful people never do before going to bed

Success is achieved by taking big risks and working hard. 

But maintaining success is all about having good daily habits and getting rid of unhealthy ones.

Want to know what successful people NEVER do before going to bed?

Here are some of them.

1) Answer emails and calls

We think that successful people don’t stop working…that they’re grinding 24/7.

But the truly successful ones aren’t really like that. They know when to switch on and switch off their work button.

They’re very much aware that hustling outside of their work hours can burn them out, so they don’t do any kind of work at night, especially when it’s almost bedtime.

They focus on relaxation and nothing else.

Most of them even turn off their notifications so they won’t be tempted to do any kind of work. And this kind of discipline has made them achieve greater things in the long run.

2) Dwell on negative thoughts

Whatever kind of thoughts we allow to enter our minds, whatever we choose to ruminate on, will have an impact on how we live our lives.

So, instead of choosing negative thoughts, they’d rather think of positive ones.

Of course, it’s inevitable that some negative thoughts would creep in like “What if I go broke because I made a bad investment?” or “Ugh, I think I’m making a big mistake pursuing art.”

But truly successful people would say hello to them, acknowledge them as just thoughts, and send them on their way.

Something will always bother us and negative thoughts are always louder at night, especially when we’re alone.

What makes successful people different is that they won’t let negative thoughts bother them—at all.

3) Get piss drunk and overeat

Don’t get me wrong. Successful people are not too uptight. They don’t deprive themselves from drinking wine and eating junk from time to time.

What’s the point of being successful if you can’t enjoy food?

But unlike many others, they eat and drink moderately. 

They know that too much alcohol is not only bad for sleep, they’ll pay for it big time the next day.

Who wants a hangover during an important meeting? Definitely not the people who are driven to succeed.

4) Exercise intensely

While exercise is always good, there are times when it can cause more harm…and one of those times is when you do strenuous exercises when it’s almost bedtime.

If you really want to do 50 push ups and 1 hour of cardio, do them four hours before. That way your body is not pumped right before bed.

Some successful people exercise at night, but they go light.

5) Make next day’s to-do list like a maniac

Successful people love making plans and writing to-do lists give them a thrill. But they won’t do it late at night!

They don’t want thoughts about work to enter their subconscious. After all, isn’t it enough that they’ve been working all day long?

What they do instead is write their to-do lists before ending their work day. And once they clock out, they won’t even think about things to do anymore.

6) Gossip

Let’s be real. Gossip is fun sometimes and even the brightest and most successful among us would like a bit of juicy gossip now and then.

But they wouldn’t don’t consider it so special that they’d do it on their precious bedtime.

When their partner spills some interesting tidbits about their neighbor, for example, they’d engage to be polite but they will cut it short to attend to more important things…like reading their book.

7) Forget to meditate

Mental wellbeing is extremely important to successful people. They know that they can’t go far if they’re anxious or burnt out or just feeling generally unwell.

They care for their mind as well as their body.

While some of us think that meditation and prayer are all woo woo, truly successful people find them very useful in calming the mind.

That’s why they happily indulge in any kind of ritual that can cleanse their mind and spirit whether it be prayer, deep breathing, or even listening to ASMR.

8) Skip self-care

Even if it’s already midnight and they’re exhausted, successful people take care of themselves before hitting the sack.

They make sure that they brush their teeth, wash their face, wash their feet, and change into sleepwear.

They may be optional for some, but for successful people, their self-care routine is something they must commit to every single night.

Because they’ve turned them into habits, they become impossible to break.

Successful people are believers of small habits. They might seem like they’re just simple things (and they are!) but when done daily, they do make a big difference. 

Someone who regularly skips brushing teeth might not pay the consequences the next day, but they surely will someday. 

9) Doomscrolling

They won’t linger in forums and watch cat videos till midnight. 

As tempting as it may be to just mindlessly do stuff on the internet to unwind from a stressful day, they know that it can’t contribute to their growth.

In fact, it can be detrimental to their wellbeing.

It can also lead to insomnia and less relaxed sleep because doom scrolling keeps your brain alert and stimulated.

So they put the phone as far away as possible.

10) Obsess over their mistakes

If they made a huge mistake, they won’t beat themself up—especially not at night when they’re about to sleep!

They won’t keep replaying how they committed their mistakes and thinking of ways on how they should have done it better. 

While most of these thoughts just naturally enter our minds, successful people prefer not to entertain them.

They know that dwelling over past mistakes won’t make any difference. They’ll make peace with the past and tell themselves to do better next time.

Their mistakes have already given them trouble. They don’t want to give it more power over them by ruining their night!

11) Obsess about the future 

Successful people are extremely ambitious. They’re always thinking about the future…well, except when it’s time for bed.

They know that planning and dreaming, no matter how inspiring they may be, can wait in the morning. 

They’d rather reserve this time for relaxation and nothing else. That way, they can actually directly help their future by being healthy and alert the next day.

12) Try to fix problems

There’s a time to fix problems—and it certainly isn’t right before bed.

Highly successful people are wise enough to reserve issues—whether it’s their career or personal life— for the next day. 

Some of us might not have the capacity to delay things because we want to solve everything ASAP.

But successful people, even if they’re great problem-solvers, are wise enough to know that sound decisions are best made when the mind and body are recharged.

Last words

Do you do any of the things in this list?

Don’t feel bad if you do. Trust me—even even the most successful people commit one or two of them.

I personally doom scroll and answer emails.

But if you do almost all of the things I mentioned, then you’ll do yourself a huge favor by getting rid of them one by one.

Not only will you be successful career-wise, you’ll also be healthier, calmer, and happier overall.