28 Productive Things To Do Before Bed Instead Of Social Media

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Do you find yourself often scrolling through social media after a long day of work? I mean, c’mon, Instagram reels and Tiktok videos are addicting. I find it personally hard to stop scrolling once I’m sucked into the world of social media.

As tempting and addicting it is to scroll through social media before bed, studies have shown that doing so is actually harmful for your health.

The blue light that radiates from your screen damages your retina. Scrolling through social media can affect your sleep, which in turn, will make it harder for you to wake up earlier.

Instead of scrolling through social media before bed, here are 28 productive things you can do before bed. I’m not talking about having to clean your whole house or grinding on a side project. My idea of “productive” is intentionally doing something that will benefit your mind, body, or soul.

Also, stay tuned at the end of the post for a FREE printable!!! All you have to do is simply fill in your first name and email to get the freebie.

So here are 28 productive things you can start doing before bed:

1. Tidy up your room

I know that probably the last thing you’d want to do is clean your room before heading to bed. But studies have shown that a messy room can actually affect your sleep quality and increase stress.

Whether that’s putting your clothes away or organizing your desk, a tidy room will make your mind feel less cluttered and overwhelmed.

2. Read a light-hearted book

As much as I love a thrilling story or a budding romance plot in a book, I know I wouldn’t be able to sleep until dawn. I’ll probably be sucked into the book that I wouldn’t want to sleep.

That’s why I’d encourage you to read a good, light-hearted book that will make you want to curl up on the sofa and relax. Why not check out this cute bedtime storybook specifically for adults or this 5-minute stress relief book that comes with 75 simple exercises to quiet the mind.

3. Plan your outfit for tomorrow.

Save yourself the stress of having to pick out an outfit the day of by planning the night before. Picking out an outfit might take extra effort and time, but it also saves you time in the mornings.

This interesting study shows that there is a strong link between clothing choices and our emotional states. What we choose to wear can impact how we feel and how we also think. Of course, body language and nonverbal communication also play huge factors into how we feel and think.

At the same time, if clothes do contribute to the way we feel, then why not take a few extra minutes before bed to pick out an outfit that makes you feel good and confident?

Related: How To Dress Classy But Casual

4. Stretch it out.

I’m definitely not the most flexible person on this planet. The farthest I can stretch is to touch my toes (lol). This is something I actually want to try more, too.

Stretching has great benefits that improves your mental state, sleep quality, and overall mood.

If you’re looking for light stretch exercises to do before bed, check out this 7-minute full body stretch you can do:

5. Review how your day went.

Often times, we tend to go through the motions of our day without actually reflecting on how it went that evening. Reflecting gives us an opportunity to pause in the midst of our busy schedules and hectic lives.

Even if it’s just 5 minutes at night, I’d encourage you to reflect on one thing that you’re grateful for and one thing that happened that day.

6. Take time for your skincare routine.

A pamper evening session is always a nice way to wind down after a long day. Dermatologist Hadley King, M.D. strongly recommends how important it is to do an evening facial wash to remove dirt, pollution, oil, pollen, etc, that may have accumulated during the day.

As far as your skincare routine goes, a few skincare products you could use to pamper your skin can include this Korean soothing facial mask or this popular mud mask for a healthier complexion.

7. Meal prep for tomorrow.

How often do you find yourself rushing in the mornings to make breakfast or lunch? Meal prepping the night before can save you lots of time the next day.

Not surprisingly, more than 53 percent of Americans skip breakfast at least once a week according to research. Can you guess why?

According to the study, many people don’t have an appetite in the mornings or they just don’t have time to make breakfast.

Since breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, why not just take a few minutes at night to meal prep?

I’m also really lazy when it comes to meal prepping, so this super easy overnight oats recipe has been my go-to for breakfast.

8. Write your to-do list the night before.

Writing out your to-do list the night before can be a game changer for your productivity. I’m a huge advocate for writing down my goals since I’m the type to get easily distracted if I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.

When you write things down in an effective planner, you can visually see the tasks you need to complete and how you can break them down into actionable steps.

Are you looking for planners that will help boost your productivity and mood? Check out this simple, effective planner that will help you reach your goals.

Don’t forget to also check out these 57 brilliant goal ideas to get more inspiration!

9. Try deep breathing.

Deep breathing has been shown to help alleviate stress and lower blood pressure which are huge contributors to insomnia.

What is deep breathing? It’s a form of breathing practice that involves conscious, deep abdominal breathing. As you breathe in for four seconds and feel your diaphragm expand, slowly exhale for four seconds and let the air out. Repeat this process four times.

This is a breathing exercise that will help your body elicit a relaxation response, which will help you to sleep at night.

10. Pray.

“True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.”
Charles Spurgeon

As a Christian, I want to incorporate more prayer in my daily life, especially before heading to bed. It’s way too easy for me to scroll through social media at night rather than spending time with God.

If you struggle with implementing prayer as well, this is something we can both improve on together!

I’ve heard and read a lot of great reviews about this beautiful prayer journal that I might consider using at night. If you have any prayer journals, I’d love to know which one you use in the comments below!

11. Do some personal development work.

I firmly believe that working on personal development will improve your quality of life and help you to grow as an individual. If you can spend at least 10 minutes at night to read a personal growth book, focus on your spiritual/mental health, or work on a personal project, do that!

This is a perfect opportunity to spend some quality me-time and focus on what’s important to you. Whatever that is, these small actions will build up over time. You’ll start to become a better version of yourself and the best part is: the path of personal growth is an exhilarating, ongoing life journey.

12. Braindump anything that’s on your mind.

I love to braindump since I’m a big daydreamer and huge thinker (haha). Sometimes I can get so caught up in my thoughts that I start to get overwhelmed by so many things I want or have to do. Can you relate?

That’s why I started brain dumping, which is a practice of writing literally every thought that comes up in your mind. Here are some examples of what you could brain dump onto a sheet of paper:

List of tasks you need to get done
List of tasks you want to get done
Your grocery list
Things that are bothering you
Your work schedule
Upcoming events
Your weekly goals
What to meal prep for tomorrow
Things you want to buy

Check out this super cute daily brain dump book that includes additional brain dump and list pages in the back to turn creative thoughts into tasks.

13. Do a digital declutter.

When you download many digital files or have way too many tabs opened (guilty of this), your mind can get overwhelmed. Why not do a 10 minute digital declutter to organize your files and delete any unnecessary tabs.

A digital declutter will make you feel more organized and less cluttered. You can also declutter any unnecessary files on your phone.

Every month or so, I like to go through any phone apps that I don’t use and uninstall them. I also unsubscribe from any emails that I am no longer interested. This helps me to stay more organized and feel more refreshed!

14. Go on a night walk.

If it’s not too cold at night where you live, going on a night walks can be super beneficial for your health. I personally like to go on a night walk after dinner with my parents, if I can.

Here are just a few benefits of going on a night walk:

Increases metabolic rate
Improves quality of sleep
Helps with blood circulation
Aids with digestion
Calms your mind and body

If you plan to walk at night by yourself, consider investing in this pepper spray or this self defense metal keychain for extra protection!

15. Work on your side hustle.

Have you been wanting to start a side hustle or start your own blog to make an income?

You could even just spend 15 minutes working on your side hustle at night. Each step you take towards your big goals will make a difference.

Why not start now instead of waiting for the right time?

Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.
Harvey Mackay

16. Sing your heart out.

Fun fact: I love to sing. There’s just something about singing that makes me feel so much joy. It’s kind of a way for me to creatively express myself, as well as being a form of therapy.

Whether it’s singing in the shower or in your car or having solo karaoke nights (yes, I actually do this lol), sing your heart out! Who cares if you sound like a dying cat or someone might be listening to you!

If you like to sing and it’s something you enjoy doing, then just do it!

17. Spend time with your loved ones.

When you remove yourself from social media or your phone, how often do you spend time with your family? I’m definitely guilty of this, too. Growing up, I didn’t really spend time with my family at night. We would kind of do our own thing and that’s the way we preferred it to be.

However as I’m getting older, I realize that time with my family is precious and valuable. I don’t want to take them for granted.

One thing I’ve been doing is calling my sister almost everyday. I’m trying to be more intentional during family dinner time and I’ve been going on more walks with my parents as well.

What is something you can start doing to spend more time with your family?

Some ideas can include taking night walks, calling your parents if you don’t see them often, building this puzzle, eating out together, playing this fun, challenging card game, etc.

18. Write in a journal.

Journaling is a writing practice that surprisingly has many health benefits, including improving your immune system! Writing in a journal helps you to reflect on how your day went and gives you a greater sense of overall happiness.

If you don’t regularly journal, that’s a-okay. It takes practice, consistency, and time to make journaling a habit. I’d encourage you to simply just start where you are.

If you are stuck and don’t know what to journal about, here are 12 bedtime journal prompts that will help you get started.

19. Create Spotify playlists.

If you like to organize things while listening to music, why not organize your Spotify playlists and also find new music? It’s a fun, productive way to use your time.

I personally like to spend time on Spotify looking for workout music since I’m at the gym a lot. So it’s always fun for me to update my workout playlists and also update any playlists that are kind of old.

20. Plan a future trip for fun.

If you’ve been thinking of traveling or going on a road trip, this is a perfect opportunity to start planning ahead. Flight tickets can get more expensive during the summer when everyone wants to travel (lol), so planning earlier will save you $$$.

Want to go on a road trip with family or friends? List out places you’d like to visit and from there and take into out how long the drive will be and any stops you’ll be making a long the way!

Planning for a fun vacation can be a fun, yet tiring process. But if you start early, you save yourself the stress and money!

21. Spend time with your furry companion.

Pets have the power to decrease stress and improve heart health. One time, my therapist told me that spending time with my dog can release dopamine. And it’s true!

Whenever I spend time with my dog, I always feel better afterwards. That’s probably why I always see so many of my neighbors walking their dogs at the end of a long day.

Spending time outdoors with your pet can certainly boost your mood and overall well-being.

22. Take a warm shower or bath.

I don’t know about you, but I love a warm shower, especially when it’s cold. It’s super relaxing and taking a warm shower actually relieves muscle tension.

A warm shower also helps me sleep better at night because my mind and body feels more relaxed and ready to sleep. If you have problems falling asleep at night, try taking a warm shower and see how you feel!

23. Try a coloring book.

When we think of coloring books, we usually think of kids using crayons to doodle and color. But recently, coloring books for adults have become increasingly popular.

In fact, check out this stress-relieving adult coloring book or this mystical coloring book for adults! These coloring books allow you to creatively express yourself, while helping you to calm your mind and body.

24. List 3 things you’re grateful for.

Writing down three things I’m grateful is a practice I do almost everyday. I actually have a reason for doing this and I hope this will encourage you as well.

Naturally, I’m a pessimist (lol). I tend to have automatic negative thoughts which cause me to magnify seemingly bad situations. My therapist recommended that I start practicing gratitude as a way to rewire my neural pathways. Studies have actually shown that practicing gratitude can rewire your brain and the way you think.

That’s why I’ve been making gratitude a consistent practice by writing 3 things I’m grateful for each day. It helps me to keep perspective on things that I can be grateful for in my life when my brain automatically wants to think negatively.

25. Make a list of things you’ve been wanting to try.

Have a bucketlist of things you’ve been wanting to do but just never had time for?

Maybe it’s time to revisit that bucketlist and see if you can start crossing things off from the list! Or why not add to the list if you have more ideas or activities you want to do!

If you would like more inspiration, check out these 150 bucket list ideas to live out your best life!

26. Invest time in a skill you want to develop.

If you don’t have time during the day to invest in a skill that you want to grow in, night time is perfect for doing so.

Is there a course, class, or project you want to work on? Whether it’s learning to play the guitar, improve your public speaking skills, or get better at cooking, invest your time into the things you want to actually do!

How cool would it be to spend as little as 10 minutes into developing a skill and possibly a year from now, you might even be a pro at what you’re doing!

27. Do the thing that you’ve been procrastinating on.

Remember that one task that’s been sitting in your to-do list for a couple of days now? Yep, that. Go do the dang thing!

I seriously don’t mean to be rude (my apologies), but sometimes we just need someone to tell us to just do it.

What have you been procrastinating on lately? Is it something you’ve been wanting to do but keep putting off?

28. Call a friend.

Last but not least, call a dear friend and catch up on each other’s lives. I don’t know if you can relate, but I know that when I spend hours on social media, I don’t really feel that great about myself.

Especially if I start to compare my social life to others through social media, it would not be good for my mental health.