By Roy Newlan, founder Last updated 18/08/2026
Everyone has started a wind-down routine. Almost nobody is still doing the one they started. The problem usually isn't willpower. It's the design of the routine itself.
How do I actually build a routine I'll keep?
The routines that stick are short, anchored to something you already do, and identical every night. Ambition kills routines, not laziness. A 90-minute ritual with yoga, journalling, a bath and two books is a lovely idea that survives about four nights. A 20-minute loop you could do half asleep survives years.
That's the whole method. Everything below is just how to set it up.
Start with a cue, not a list
A routine needs a starting gun. Not a time on the clock, because your evenings aren't identical. A cue that already happens every night: the dinner dishes are done, the dog's last walk is over, the kids' doors are shut.
Whatever you pick, the rule is the same. When the cue happens, the routine starts. You're not deciding each night whether to wind down. The cue decides for you. That's the difference between a habit and an intention.
Keep the whole thing under 30 minutes
Anything longer competes with the rest of your life, and the rest of your life wins. Under 30 minutes fits into any evening, including the bad ones, and the bad ones are where routines die.
Here's what a realistic version looks like:
| Minute | Step |
|---|---|
| 0 | Cue fires. Kitchen's done, phone goes on the charger. |
| 0 to 5 | Overheads off, lamps on. Pour your evening drink. |
| 5 to 10 | Tomorrow's list on a notepad. Two minutes, done badly, is enough. |
| 10 to 20 | Something low-effort with your hands. Shower, stretching, tidying one room. |
| 20 to 25 | Anchor step. The one part that never changes. |
| 25 to 30 | Bed. Book if you want one, lights out when your eyes go. |
The exact steps matter less than you'd think. The order and the repetition are doing the work.
Pick one anchor step and protect it
Inside the routine, one step is non-negotiable. Everything else can flex. Skipped the notepad, showered in the morning instead, fine. The anchor happens every single night, travel and bad days included.
The best anchors are physical and identical each time, because your body learns them faster than your head does. Same action, same spot in the evening, same result: the day is over.
For us it's the scoop. Settl in cold water, 30 to 60 minutes before bed. One scoop, one glass, same every night. Part of what's happening is the seven actives in the formula. Part of it is plainer than that: a repeated physical signal your body comes to recognise as the end of the day. The powder isn't magic. The repetition is doing real work too, and we designed it that way on purpose. It's the easiest possible anchor to keep, which is exactly what an anchor needs to be.
Yours doesn't have to be a drink. It has to be physical, quick, and the same every night.
Build up, don't build out
If you're starting from nothing, don't install the whole 30 minutes at once. Start with the anchor alone and add one step at a time, only once the current version is automatic.
| Week | The routine |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Anchor step only. Cue fires, anchor happens, that's the routine. |
| 3 to 4 | Add lamps-only lighting after the cue. |
| 5 to 6 | Add the phone on the charger, out of the bedroom. |
| 7+ | Add the notepad, the shower, whatever earns its place. |
A two-step routine you do every night beats a seven-step routine you do twice a week. Every time.
When it falls apart, shrink it
You'll fall off. A late night out, a sick kid, a work deadline. The mistake is deciding the routine is broken and starting the ambitious version again from scratch. Instead, drop back to the anchor alone for a few nights, then rebuild.
The anchor is the routine. The rest is decoration you add back when life allows.
If you want to go deeper on the individual pieces, we've covered what to do about screens in the last hour and how to get the body itself to wind down, and the full picture lives in our wind-down guide.
Short. Anchored. Identical. That's a routine you'll still be doing next year.
Cheers, Roy