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You’ve just laid down from a hard day. Your body finds that perfect position where your back loosens up and you feel like you’re floating on a cloud. Then it hits you, “Did I lock the door?” Now you can’t stop thinking about it. So you begrudgingly step off of your cloud to check the door. Don’t let this happen to you for the sake of your safety and your sleep.
To sleep soundly and securely every night, you need to create a nightly safety sweep.
I didn’t always have a nightly safety sweep of my apartment in college. I was rarely home due to school, friends and two jobs. I lived alone in a transitioning neighborhood that was becoming the territory of drug dealers. I knew this but I wasn't too worried.
Then one day I discovered my back door leading to the porch was unlocked. I realized the last time I exited that door was three days ago. Three days!
It shook me to think that anyone could have walked into my apartment and could have stolen all of my stuff. Worse someone could have been waiting inside for me when I got home! Thankfully nothing was missing and I was okay. But my life changed that day. I began to develop intentional security habits so that I didn’t make a mistake like that again.
Nightly Safety Sweep
Today you need to think through your home’s defenses and make sure that everything is in place before your head hits the pillow. If you have a layered home home defense strategy then the nightly safety sweep needs to be the last step to make sure it’s all in place. The last thing you want to do is make it easy for someone to get in you home and hurt your family.
Here are some steps of a nightly safety sweep:
- Make sure all exterior doors are locked with a deadbolt
- Make sure all windows are closed and locked
- Turn on any exterior lighting
- Brace doors with a door jammer
- Close blinds
- Arm security system to night mode
- Keep lights on inside
- Make sure the dog is in for the night
- Tell John Boy goodnight
Making sure your home is secure every night is a necessary task to keeping your family safe. Commit to working on this tonight before you turn in. For more family protection and home security advice, follow The Secure Dad on Instagram
