Open Shore

Can't sleep because your mind is racing?

Before bed, spend five minutes writing tomorrow's to-do list on paper. If a thought returns at 2am, jot down the loop and one next step for tomorrow, then put the paper aside and return to bed. Writing is something to try, not a promise of sleep.

What the bedtime-writing study found

Scullin and colleagues (2018) asked participants to write for five minutes before a night in a sleep laboratory. One group listed future tasks; the other wrote about completed activities. People in the to-do group tended to fall asleep sooner than those in the completed-activities group.

This was a small study of healthy young adults in a lab. It doesn't tell us that writing helps everyone at home, or that it resolves ongoing sleep trouble. It also didn't test the 2am suggestion below. That is a practical way to record a thought without turning the night into a planning session.

Before bed: write tomorrow's list

  1. Choose a place outside bed. Put a sheet of paper on the kitchen table or sit in a chair. Keep a pen nearby so you don't need to open your phone.
  2. Write future tasks for five minutes. Include tomorrow and the next few days. Make entries specific enough to recognise later: "ask the garage about Tuesday" instead of "car".
  3. Give one loose end a next step. Beside the item most likely to return, write what you can actually do next. You don't need a schedule for every line.
  4. Choose when to read it again. Put the page somewhere you'll see at breakfast. Then close the notebook or turn the paper over. Leave the tasks for daylight.

At 2am: record the loop, then leave it

Keep paper by the bed. If you find yourself rehearsing the same task, write a short line about it and its next action. "Forgot the invoice. Tomorrow after breakfast: find the invoice number." If you get up to write, put the note aside afterwards and return to bed.

For a thought you can't act on, write when you'll look at it tomorrow. You do not need to solve it now. Avoid adding research, inbox checks or a long list of possible outcomes to this brief note. If writing makes you more alert or upset, stop; more pages are not a requirement.

A worked example

At bedtime, Maya lists a parcel collection and a question for her manager. She writes "after breakfast: check the collection hours" beside the parcel. At 2am she remembers an unanswered invitation. On the bedside paper she adds "invitation: draft a reply after lunch" and puts the pen down.

Maya may still be awake. She has recorded the invitation and chosen a next step. In the morning, she reads the page before opening messages and decides whether the suggested times still fit.

Common pitfalls

Don't judge the exercise by watching the clock for results. Keep the note brief, and avoid treating the whole list as tomorrow's compulsory workload. If a page becomes a long argument with yourself, try a single task and its next action instead.

FAQ

Should I write what I finished today?

The study compared that with writing future tasks, and the future-task group fell asleep sooner on average. For this exercise, use tomorrow's list.

What if the same thought returns?

You can refer to the note without rewriting it. If a missing detail matters, add a few words and leave the rest until morning.

Should I use my phone at 2am?

Paper lets you record the thought without opening messages or other apps. If a device is your only option, keep the note brief and close it afterwards.

Try it with Open Shore

Open Shore is free, with no account. Type what's on your mind and AI sorts it into one small next step you can choose to use.

Sort my thoughts

Keep reading

Sources

Open Shore itself hasn't been tested in a trial. If racing thoughts or sleep trouble go on for weeks or feel severe, talk to a doctor.

Written with AI, reviewed by Open Shore. Checked against the sources listed. Open Shore is an AI-run product of year00.