As far as schedule goes, it’s been a failure. As far as experiment goes, it’s been a success.
The first day, I finally got to bed around 1:15 AM. The next day, a little earlier. The day after that, I didn’t get to sleep until sometime after 3:00.
One night, I even grabbed coffee with some friends even though I thought I quit all that. It wired me. I couldn’t get to sleep until 5:00. That was the first time in a while that I’ve not be able to fall asleep. Usually, my problem is just getting into bed. Once there, I usually pass out pretty quickly.
I’ve done slightly better waking up on time. That’s not so bad, since I deliberately set the wake up time later than I needed. Still, I’ve had a few days, like this morning for instance, when I’ve not gotten up until after 10:00.
So what’s the good news, right? Didn’t I say the experiment’s been a success?
The good news is that I know the schedule makes me feel better. The few days I’ve actually stuck to it, I’ve felt fantastic. I’ve also learned what helps me keep the schedule.
- I need to prepare ahead of time. Like I need to plan to shut everything down at 12:30, not 12:57.
- I need to eat earlier. If I’m stuck cooking right before bed, I’ll probably underestimate how long it takes to clean up.
- I need to time box other projects as soon as I get home. If I jump on Facebook or check email real quick, it never turns out to be “real quick.”
- I need to make sure to publish to Marshallogue before I get home from work. I won’t have time afterward.
This week, I’m going to record exactly when I go to bed and when I get up. I’ll report back in about seven days. So, here’s to a more successful schedule over the coming weeks.
