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Circadian rhythm checklist

Print one. Stick it on the fridge. Tick the daily list each morning; review the weekly list on Sunday. The aim isn't perfection — it's catching drift before it costs you a week of bad sleep.

Related micro-course

When to use this

  • When your sleep timing is drifting later week-on-week.
  • After a long-haul flight, shift change, or daylight-savings transition, to re-entrain.
  • When you've been told to ‘just sleep better’ without anyone telling you how.

How to complete it

  • Work the checklist morning-to-night in order: morning light first, evening light last. The order matters.
  • Tick what you've actually done, not what you intend to do. The aim is honest data, not a clean checklist.
  • Pick one circadian lever to add this week, not all of them. Compounding starts at one.

Common mistakes

  • Trying to fix evening light before you've fixed morning light. Morning light is the bigger lever.
  • Treating the checklist as a moralistic to-do list rather than a feedback loop.
  • Ignoring weekends as part of the circadian week — sleeping in for two days resets the clock by an hour each time.

Circadian rhythm checklist

Vinthony Academy · vinthony.com

Daily — tick each morning

HabitMTWThFSaSu
Outside daylight within 30 minutes of waking (10+ minutes)
Same wake time as the rest of the week (±30 min)
First meal within 1-2 hours of waking, not before
Last caffeine 8+ hours before bedtime
Movement during daylight hours
Dim lights in the last hour before bed
No phone within reach when going to sleep

Weekly — review on Sunday

  • Bedtime drift weekday→weekend under 60 minutes
  • At least one short midday outdoor break per day
  • One full day with no caffeine after noon
  • Alcohol-free nights ≥ 5 of 7
  • Evening exercise finished 2+ hours before bed

One habit to lock in next week.