It begins the night before.

Neil likes to set aside time every night to get clarity and plan out exactly what needs to be done the following day, and in what state of mind (powerful or connected or creative or passionate).

(His wife used to hate this routine, but now she loves it because he gets to spend more time with her and their baby Tenn.)

So I learned from him that this is the first thing to do as part of my nightly ritual.

As soon as the day is planned out, I get into the ritual that prepares me to go into a deep, peaceful sleep.

A sleep that recharges and invigorates and has me waking up early, feeling amazing and productive.

I’ll get into the exact steps for this shortly.

A good night of sleep isn’t only for the sake of waking up early and getting more done.

It’s absolutely necessary for your health and improvement of your daily life.

Your body and brain of course literally recharge themselves when you sleep.

For example, your body produces most of your Growth Hormone (or GH for short) when you sleep.

GH controls how much fat you burn, how much muscle you build, your sex drive and motivation, and keeps your immune system and mental faculties running smoothly.

A lack of quality sleep will not only slow the production of GH, it will increase the production of Cortisol.

This is a stress hormone that promotes fat storage, kills your muscles, hurts your immune system, and the worst part:

It puts you in a stressed-out-and can’t-handle-your-life kind of mood.

Basically, a lack of quality sleep means:

Your body will store more fat.

Your muscles will shrink.

Your sex drive will decrease.

You’ll be in a terrible mood.

You’ll die (just kidding, kinda)

So, now that we’ve got the importance of a quality sleep out of the way, let’s talk about making an effort to get in bed earlier and get a solid 6-9 hours of sleep so we can wake up feeling amazing.

And without further ado…

How To Sleep Like A Boss

The first thing you’ll want to do is avoid any caffeine or stimulants 6-8 hours before your target bed time.

You’ll also want to avoid blue light, using a program like f.lux for your computer or getting a blue-light blocking screen protector for your phone.

If you don’t know what I mean by blue light, here’s some background.

Next you’ll want to set aside some “thinking” time to plan out what you want to accomplish the next day.

Make sure to write down everything on your mind.

This will also act as a sort of “brain dump” – so you won’t be thinking about all that needs to be done while you’re unplugging from the world and getting ready to doze off.

Make sure to end your writing session with a positive message for yourself, even if it’s just a few words like: “I get to choose how to be tomorrow” or “Love and let go” or “I am a powerful leader.”

End on a high.

From there, you’ll want to pour up a cup of some calming Chamomile tea, or if you really think you have trouble falling asleep, supplement with a high quality CBD extract.

(If you tend to have trouble falling asleep, one of Neil’s friends makes a really effective supplement called Sleeping Monk: Nite Nite.)

Now, you’ll want to dim the lights and darken the house, giving your brain the signal that it’s time to sleep.

I’m also not a fan of having any bulky technology—computer, television, etc—in the same room where I sleep.

If you can, lower the room temperature a little bit, I like to sleep at 69 degrees Fahrenheit.

During a deep sleep, your body temperature drops, so sleeping a cooler room is definitely helpful.

Now that everything is in place, take a few deep breaths, wind down, and let your mind wander with some light fiction until you doze off.

(Don’t read Neil’s books: They’ll keep you up all night because you can’t put them down.)

This nightly routine will help you get a deeper sleep, wake up earlier, and have more energy throughout the day – which will only be conducive to your success in life.

It’s 6:42 a.m right now as I write this post.

I’ve found I’m much more effective going to bed before 11 p.m.

I can get most of my work done before my friends are even awake.

While Neil is writing books, Richard Arthur is busy sharing his latest knowledge with readers. If you want to be on the inside, and learn the latest tools and techniques we are using here to improve our lives and the lives of others, then you’ll want to be part of this limited email distribution list. Click here while we’re still doing this.