Monday, July 16, 2012

How To Stop Pushing Snooze

It's 9:48pm as I'm writing this, and I'm on a deadline. I have twelve minutes. Twelve minutes until I must turn off this computer.

You see, there's one thing that's majorly, MAJORLY on my "Can't List". I can't wake up to my alarm in the morning. I fail in ever so many different ways. Sometimes I set the alarm wrong (like set it for p.m. instead of a.m. - for whatever reason, p.m. is the default on my phone and sometimes I mess up and don't switch it). Sometimes I really think I set it right, but it doesn't seem that it goes off. (Though it's probably more likely that it goes off and I turn it off without realizing I've done so.) Sometimes...well, the rest of the time...I hit snooze a number of times before getting up. Sometimes a GREAT number of times, going back to sleep for seven minutes each time for an hour or something. WHY?!?! That makes no sense! It's not quality sleep!

Fliqlo screensaver, downloadable here

So, for the most part, I don't set an alarm at all, and I just wake up when I wake up, or when my children wake me up. Regardless, it's usually about 8 o'clock, but sometimes as late as 9. This method sets a poor tone for my day. I don't get showered and dressed before I have to do all the tasks for the kids. Sometimes Tyson gets home from work (he works nights) and goes to bed in our room before I can get ready in there, or before I can even get in there and get my clothes and supplies to shower and get ready in the other bathroom. So there I wait, trapped in my house all day in my sweats, worried about disturbing his sleep, wishing I had gotten ready or at least put on a bra!!!

I read about a method for improving this alarm clock problem, and I'd like to try it sometime. It's from the blog of coach Steve Pavlina, and it involves practicing waking up to the alarm during your awake hours until the proper reaction is ingrained as a habit in your subconscious. Here's the method: How to Get Up Right Away When Your Alarm Goes Off.


In the meantime, I know that one of my main problems is that I stay up too late in the first place. I have always been a night owl, as any of my family or friends will attest. I enjoy and savor those quiet, dark hours when everyone else in my house is asleep (or at work). Or I love those noisy, boisterous hours when I'm out late at night having fun with friends. But I must admit I pay for it again and again when my days don't run as I'd like them to. I truly do enjoy those mornings when I'm up with the sun and I can put myself together and collect my thoughts and prepare to meet the rush of the day.


So I'm setting a goal to turn the computer off by 10pm and to be asleep by 11. {Monthly Girls' Night In gabfests with my girlfriends of 20+ years are completely excepted!!!} I've already gone over time here by a few minutes, so I must end here.


I'd sure appreciate any tips anyone can give about going to sleep on time and waking up on time! Share in the comments if you have any input. I'm on my way to a CAN'T to CAN here!



4 comments:

  1. I am the same exact way. Keep us posted on if this works. It seems plausible but not sure I would actually practice :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad to hear someone else has this problem! Wait, that sounds like I'm glad you have a problem...I just mean I'm glad to have company!

      I'll let you know when I actually get the chance to practice, but for now I can't because my husband sleeps during the day in our room, so I really can't practice until he switches to a new schedule. In the meantime, maybe you caught my new post, but my first night of trying to go to bed early was a total fail!

      Delete
  2. You know me, NOT a night owl in the slightest but with my job I am often up until 12. I can relate to starting the day off right or wrong. A friend of mine posted that she starts every morning reading the scriptures and something of her choosing, gospel or not. I love some of the thoughts she reads and posts and decided to try that. Today was my first day and I Loved the quiet reflection time before the day began. Easier to do today though since I don't work Sundays and wentn to bed last night at 10pm. The real test starts tomorrow when I try to get myself out of bed and do it again. So glad to hear Girls Night is excepted from your Late nights!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But see, you're going against your schedule and succeeding (you're not a night owl, but have to stay up late to work), and you've been doing it for years now! You're an inspiration.

      I like the idea about waking up and reading. How's it going so far? Same concept, I've found that I really like to read my kids stories in the morning before breakfast. By bedtime my patience is shot and I want to rush through. In the morning it seems so fun and I let them bring more and more books.

      Delete