4 tricks to stop your mind racing & get a great night’s sleep everynight
Four sneaky tricks you can use to stop overthinking and get to sleep.

I couldn’t get to sleep because I was stressed about not being asleep.
Using these four tricks, I no longer stress about sleep. I can easily relax and get to sleep quickly pretty much every night.
1. REPLACE THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD… WITH SOMEONE ELSE’S
I have found it a massive relief to use audio as a way to rest my eyes and melt away into sleep.
LIBRIVOX
Librivox is an amazing organisation where volunteers read and record classic texts in the public domain (a.k.a. the period of copyright protection has expired) or the author has decided to record and give away the content for free.

Some recordings are made by dedicated but amateur volunteers (think echoes and twangy American accents) however some recordings are so good, you’ll feel guilty you got it for free (but you can always donate or volunteer to be a reader).
- The Android Librivox App
- The App Store Librivox App
- Lirivox.org
- Bleak House by Charles Dickens (Don’t let the name fool you, this is a story filled with love and amusing characters).
- Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens ( This one really got me in the feels. You may feel frustrated with Little Dorrit for her kindness but you’re behind her all the way).
Anything read by Bob Neufeld is incredible. His voice is deep, American, and husky. He infuses each reading with dynamic pacing so it’s not just words on a page, it’s a story. Some good bedtime books narrated by Bob:
- Grimms’ fairy tales
- The Republic by Plato
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
- Grammar-Land by M. L. Nesbitt (a super cute way to learn more about English grammar)
- Poems Every Child should know edited by Mary E Burt (everything from the full version of Twinkle Twinkle, the real Scottish version of Wee Willie Winkie, and the Edgar Alan Poe classic The Raven)
- Our Island Story, Part 1 by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall (a very engaging retelling of the myths and legends of England right back from the mythical times of Albion)

- The ENTIRE Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (read by David Clarke)

PODCASTS
- My Thought Coach by Stin Hansen
- Meditation Oasis by Mary Maddux & Richard Maddux
- Meditation Minis by Chel Hamilton (on iTunes, on AudioBoom, on SoundCloud)
2. CREATE A ROUTINE (& CHECKLIST IT)
TOOLS FOR BUILDING ROUTINES

Evernote is a fast, sturdy, and flexible note taking application. It’s my choice for general note taking. Easy for you to build your routine on your desktop (Desktop app or browser versions) and bring it up on your chosen app (Android or iOS)

Nozbe is my choice for task management. Again it is very sturdy with desktop, website, and app versions that all sync super quickly.The premium version lets you save and share template checklists \^_^/ Here is copy of my nightly routine via Nozbe in a checklist template.

Not only does this app already have a lot of the good habits you are likely trying to build into your night routine (e.g. floss, stretch, drink water) so you can automatically add them to a routine. There is also a feature with lots of mini-challenges with “psychologically proven techniques to help you get a better nights’ sleep”.
Other great features include stretching routines, yoga poses and meditations built into the app itself. Only available for Android.
Have a look at my nightly routine (Nozbe checklist)

GETTING ROUTINES TO STICK
- Habits don’t work (why you need a ritual)
- 7 rituals of highly successful people
- Podcast episode: Making rituals stick with Nabill Idrisi
- Podcast episode: The difference between habits and rituals
- Podcast episode: Rituals over Habits
3. STRETCH YOURSELF
- Quite a stretch by Paul Ingraham ~ Looks at the science of stretching and outlines stretching isn’t doing much of what people hope
- Stretching vs Non Stretching by Phil Maffetone – A passionate rant backed up by sources.
- Current concepts in muscle stretching for exercise and rehabilitation by Phil Page – Phil has written extensively in this area and has an excellent writing style, despite the technical scientific and Latin terms that are needed.
- LifeHacker on Why stretching is just as important as exercise – here even LifeHacker say to lay off stretching before you are warmed up

STRETCHES FOR OFFICE BUM & CYCLIST’S SADDLE
- The best bum stretches for a good night’s sleep from Upright Health
- Willow Ryan‘s short easy guide for saving your office bum: The Do it All Exercise to Go From Dead Butt to Active Arse
- An easy to follow whole body stretching routine from SportsScience.co
- Checklist: My nightly routine (including stretching)
4. AN EYEMASK
Little blinking laptop lights, phone notifications, security lights coming on, housemates getting home or leaving… all these little light changes would wake me up.
I started using an eyemask and haven’t looked back 😀
Any type of eyemask will do. At first I just used a crappy airline one I had lying around. There are lots of eye mask options… some of them pretty full on with moulding and other features. I upgraded to this fancy one by Slip (yes, I was probably fooled by all the Instagram marketing spin) but it feels amazing on and I love it.

Do you have any cures for insomnia or a racing mind? And I am always keen to hear your amazing Librivox or podcast recommendations. Let me know!
THE RESOURCE CHECKLIST
- Librivox
- Donate to Librivox
- Android Librivox App
- iOS Librivox App
- Mil Nicholson
- Bob Neufeld
- Kara Shallenberg aka KayRay
- David Clarke
- Scott Sigler
- PodcastAddict
- My Thought Coach by Stin Hansen
- Meditation Minis
- Chel Hamilton
- Evernote
- Nozbe
- Nightly routine (Nozbe checklist)
- The Fabulous App
- Productivity Show podcast
- Asian Efficiency
- Paul Ingraham
- Phil Page
- Upright Health
- SportsScience.co
- Slip (Pillowcases and eyemasks)
- Checklist: My nightly routine (including stretching)