Writing Out a To-Do Lists May Help with Falling Asleep

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I think I may try this out, to see if it works.

A new study has come out suggesting that writing out a to-do list could help people fall asleep faster. Anxiety about tasks ahead of us may be a reason why people have difficulty falling asleep. This affects about 40% of American adults at least in some point per month. With impending tasks, responsibilities, and other causes for worry may be a big contributing factor. Thus, physically writing out a to-do list may lessen the anxiety, and help people fall asleep on average nine minutes faster.


https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-waves/201801/the-connection-between-writing-and-sleep

The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists.
Abstract
Bedtime worry, including worrying about incomplete future tasks, is a significant contributor to difficulty falling asleep. Previous research showed that writing about one's worries can help individuals fall asleep. We investigated whether the temporal focus of bedtime writing-writing a to-do list versus journaling about completed activities-affected sleep onset latency. Fifty-seven healthy young adults (18-30) completed a writing assignment for 5 min prior to overnight polysomnography recording in a controlled sleep laboratory. They were randomly assigned to write about tasks that they needed to remember to complete the next few days (to-do list) or about tasks they had completed the previous few days (completed list). Participants in the to-do list condition fell asleep significantly faster than those in the completed-list condition. The more specifically participants wrote their to-do list, the faster they subsequently fell asleep, whereas the opposite trend was observed when participants wrote about completed activities. Therefore, to facilitate falling asleep, individuals may derive benefit from writing a very specific to-do list for 5 min at bedtime rather than journaling about completed activities. (PsycINFO Database Record.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29058942
 
Yes, I do and it helps me. I read a very similar article on the Pocket app about a month ago.
 
Yes, it is connected to anxiety. If I have bigger problem I can't fall asleep till I develop a plan (sort of a list), then I relax and fall asleep. Generally speaking I have to avoid deep thinking or analyzing anything late at night. My brain gets in the "momentum" like a spinning top and can't fall asleep till it stops. Reading something or watching quiet and mildly interesting programs before helps. Winding down my brain process. Going to bed at the same time helps tremendously.
 

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