That Girl Night Routine: The Wind-Down Checklist

A that girl night routine is a 30 to 60-minute wind-down that sets up tomorrow and protects your sleep: a quick reset of your space, tomorrow's decisions made tonight, a short to-do list, screens off, skincare, something calm, and lights out at roughly the same time every night. It is less about a pretty bathroom shelf and more about waking up rested, which is where the glow actually starts.

Here is the checklist, the reasoning behind each step, a sample evening you can copy, and a version for nights when you have ten minutes and zero energy.

The that girl night routine checklist

1. Wind-down alarm 30 to 60 minutes before bed
2. Ten-minute reset: dishes, counters, one surface
3. Tomorrow prep: outfit, bag, breakfast, water bottle
4. Write tomorrow's to-do list
5. Warm shower or bath (optional, but lovely)
6. Screens off, phone on the charger outside the bedroom
7. Skincare: makeup off, cleanse, treat, moisturize
8. Something calm: read, stretch or journal
9. Cool, dark, quiet bedroom
10. Lights out at your usual time

The night routine, step by step

1. Set a wind-down alarm, not just a bedtime

Most people have a morning alarm and no evening one, which is how 10 p.m. turns into 1 a.m. Set a second alarm 30 to 60 minutes before you want to be asleep. When it goes off, the evening is officially over and the routine begins.

Choose a bedtime that gives you at least 7 hours, the CDC's minimum for adults, and keep it roughly the same every night, weekends included. A steady bedtime is what makes a steady wake-up time, and the rest of your that girl morning routine, possible.

2. Do a ten-minute reset

Set a timer and reset the spaces you will see first tomorrow: the dishes, the kitchen counter, your desk or vanity. Ten minutes is enough to make the morning feel lighter, and the timer stops a quick tidy from becoming a full cleaning session at 10 p.m. The deep clean belongs to your Sunday reset.

3. Make tomorrow's decisions tonight

Every decision you make tonight is one fewer at 7 a.m. Lay out your outfit, pack your bag, fill your water bottle and decide on breakfast. Put anything you take in the morning, like supplements or sunscreen for your bag, where you will see it. This one step is the secret behind most calm-looking mornings.

4. Write tomorrow's to-do list

If your brain starts listing everything you have to do the moment your head hits the pillow, put it on paper first. In a sleep lab study, people who spent five minutes writing a to-do list for the next few days fell asleep faster than people who wrote about tasks they had already finished, and the more specific the list, the faster they fell asleep. Keep a notebook on your nightstand so your phone does not become the notepad.

5. Take a warm shower or bath

This is the most spa-like step, and it has research behind it. A 2019 review of studies found that a warm shower or bath roughly one to two hours before bed helped people fall asleep faster and sleep better. The warm water helps your body shed heat afterward, which is part of how it winds down for sleep. If a full shower does not fit, a warm face wash and fresh pajamas still signal that the day is done.

6. Screens off, phone out

The CDC recommends turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed and keeping them out of the bedroom. Part of the reason is light, and part is that scrolling is designed to keep you engaged, which is the opposite of winding down. Charge your phone in the kitchen or across the room and use a simple alarm clock. If you use your phone for white noise or a sleep app, set it up and then place it face down, out of reach.

7. Night skincare: makeup off, cleanse, treat, moisturize

Evening is when your skin routine does its real work, and it can still be short:

• Makeup off, always. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends removing makeup before bed, even when you are exhausted. Keep micellar water or cleansing wipes by the bed for nights you would otherwise skip it.
• Gentle cleanse with lukewarm water and your fingertips, then pat dry.
• Treatment, if you use one. Retinoids go on at night. If you are new to them, dermatologists suggest starting every other night so your skin can adjust.
• Moisturizer, plus lip balm and hand cream if you want the full ritual.

Resist the urge to add exfoliating acids, scrubs and a new product every week. Over-exfoliating is one of the most common ways people irritate their skin, and a new product needs weeks, not days, to judge.

8. Choose one calm thing

Read a few pages of a real book, do a five-minute stretch, write three lines in a journal or listen to something quiet with the lights low. It does not matter which one you pick. What matters is doing the same thing most nights so it becomes a cue that sleep is next.

9. Set up your bedroom for sleep

The CDC's advice is a bedroom that is quiet, dark, relaxing and at a comfortable temperature. The Sleep Foundation suggests a cool room, around 65 to 68°F (about 18 to 20°C). Blackout curtains or an eye mask, a fan or white noise, and fresh sheets make a bigger difference than any candle. Cleveland Clinic recommends washing your sheets every week or two.

10. Lights out at your usual time

The final step is the one that makes the whole routine work: actually going to sleep at the time you planned. If you are still wide awake after a while, get up, do something quiet in dim light and go back to bed when you feel sleepy, rather than lying there scrolling.

A sample that girl night routine

Here is how the routine looks for a 10:30 p.m. bedtime. Shift every time to match yours.

The 10-minute night routine for low-energy nights

Some nights you will not do the full version, and that is fine. On those nights, do only this:

1. Phone on the charger, out of reach.
2. Makeup off and a quick cleanse (wipes count tonight).
3. Moisturizer.
4. Outfit and bag by the door.
5. Lights out.

A small routine done most nights beats a perfect one done twice a month.

The beauty sleep routine: a night routine for glowing skin

"Beauty sleep" is not just a saying. In a well-known study published in the BMJ, people photographed after a night of sleep deprivation were rated by strangers as looking less healthy, less attractive and more tired than when they were well rested. If glowing skin is your goal, the most effective product is a full night's sleep. To give it the best chance:

• Protect the hours. Seven or more, with a consistent bedtime.
• Never sleep in makeup. Keep a makeup remover by the bed for emergencies.
• Keep the routine simple so you actually do it: cleanse, one treatment, moisturizer.
• Change your sheets regularly and give your pillowcase a fresh side when you can.
• Support your skin from the inside, too. Our beauty from within guide explains what food and supplements can and can't do. If you take a daily beauty supplement like It Girl Skin, pairing it with dinner is an easy way to never forget it.

Evening habits that quietly ruin sleep

• Late caffeine. In one sleep study, caffeine taken as early as six hours before bed still disrupted sleep. If you sleep at 10:30 p.m., make your last coffee a lunchtime one.
• A big meal or drinks right before bed. The CDC suggests avoiding large meals and alcohol close to bedtime. If you're hungry late, a small snack is fine.
• Bedtime procrastination. Staying up scrolling to get "me time" back is so common it has a name. The fix is building me time into the evening routine itself.
• Falling asleep with the TV on. Light and noise are exactly what the CDC recommends keeping out of the bedroom.
• A complicated routine. If it takes an hour of skincare to get to bed, it will not survive a busy week.

Sunday night routine

Sunday night is when a night routine pays off the most, because it sets up the whole week. Do your usual wind-down, plus three extras: change the sheets, glance at the week's calendar and plan Monday's breakfast and lunch. If you want the full version, our Sunday reset routine walks through the whole day.

More that girl routines

• How to be that girl: the realistic guide
• That girl morning routine
• The that girl daily routine, morning to night
• The glow up checklist

Questions people actually ask

What is a that girl night routine?

It is an evening wind-down made popular by the that girl trend: a quick tidy, prepping for tomorrow, screens off, skincare, something calming like reading or journaling, and a consistent bedtime. The goal is better sleep and an easier morning, not a perfect-looking evening.

What time should I start my night routine?

Start 30 to 60 minutes before your planned bedtime. Pick a bedtime that gives you at least 7 hours before your alarm, and set a wind-down alarm so you actually start on time.

What should I do an hour before bed?

Wrap up the day: a short tidy, lay out tomorrow's outfit, write a to-do list, take a warm shower if you like, then put screens away, do your skincare and switch to something calm like reading. Keep the lights low and your phone outside the bedroom.

What is a good night routine for glowing skin?

Remove makeup, cleanse gently, apply your treatment (such as a retinoid, which belongs at night) and moisturize, then get at least 7 hours of sleep. Sleep matters: in one study, people looked less healthy and more tired to others after a night without enough of it.

How can I fall asleep faster?

Keep a consistent bedtime, avoid caffeine in the six hours before bed, take a warm shower one to two hours before sleep, write tomorrow's to-do list, and keep your room cool, dark and screen-free. If sleep problems last for weeks, talk to a doctor.

Is it really that bad to sleep in makeup?

Once in a while won't ruin your skin, but dermatologists recommend removing makeup every night. Keeping a remover or cleansing wipes next to your bed makes the tired-night version easy.

Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Sleep (recommended hours and sleep habits).
2. Scullin MK, et al. The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2018.
3. Haghayegh S, et al. Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2019.
4. Axelsson J, et al. Beauty sleep: experimental study on the perceived health and attractiveness of sleep deprived people. BMJ, 2010.
5. Drake C, et al. Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2013.
6. Sleep Foundation, The Best Temperature for Sleep.
7. American Academy of Dermatology, Face washing 101.
8. Cleveland Clinic, How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets?

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have ongoing trouble sleeping, or you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, talk to your doctor before changing your routine or adding a supplement. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.