Early bird
My morning ritual works like this: my alarm wakes me up at 7:00, I groan, hate life, jump out of bed, hit the snooze, jump back into bed, and immediately hit REM sleep again. I do this all without actually crossing the intervening distance between my bed and the alarm clock across the room (strategically placed to get me out of bed). Either it's quantum physics, or I am simply too sleepy to ever remember getting up. I hope it's the former: I think I'm ready for a superpower. Any how; wash, rinse, and repeat until 8:00. Sometimes until 8:30, when work starts.
For the last two weeks, I've tried a daring experiment: I've been waking up at 5:30 every morning (GASP!).
For the last two weeks, I've tried a daring experiment: I've been waking up at 5:30 every morning (GASP!).
The reason I wanted to start doing this was that I now have a Friday morning bible study at the church at 6:30 AM (it must be a test; if you can worship God at o'-dark-stupid, you can worship him any time). I wanted to know if I could get up at 5:30, so I experimented for a day. I set my alarm, knowing that I was probably going to get up, click the "hour" on the alarm another two hours, and go back to sleep. Amazingly, that didn't happen. I was awake, probably more awake than I ever am waking up at 7:00-8:00. I had three hours to kill, so I practiced guitar ("Jessica" by the Allman Brothers; and yeah, I still only know that first "do-dooo-doo, dooo-do-doo-doo, doo-do-doo-dooo" part).
The next day, I was sure it was going to catch up with me. It didn't. I woke up at 5:30 like the day before, and I made coffee with the french press I had shoved up in the kitchen cabinet. It's the first time in my life I've made coffee in the morning. It was great.
So, I think I've figured out how it works. It's circadian rhythms. Every three hours you come out of REM sleep into shallow sleep. Since I go to bed at 11:30 PM, 5:30 is at the very end of my REM cycle, so it's the natural time to wake up. 7:00-8:00, on the other hand, is in the middle of the next REM cycle, and my body simply doesn't want to wake up.
Every day, I start adding new rituals to my newly three-hour morning regimen. I make coffee, make breakfast (breakfast! I haven't had breakfast since I was eight-years-old!), study the bible, practice guitar, and play World of Warcraft until it's time for work (my blood-elf paladin can finally catch up with my unemployed friends!). On top of all that, I show up for work a half-hour early.
They say it only takes two weeks to form a life-long habit. I hope I can make it all the way to next Monday.
The next day, I was sure it was going to catch up with me. It didn't. I woke up at 5:30 like the day before, and I made coffee with the french press I had shoved up in the kitchen cabinet. It's the first time in my life I've made coffee in the morning. It was great.
So, I think I've figured out how it works. It's circadian rhythms. Every three hours you come out of REM sleep into shallow sleep. Since I go to bed at 11:30 PM, 5:30 is at the very end of my REM cycle, so it's the natural time to wake up. 7:00-8:00, on the other hand, is in the middle of the next REM cycle, and my body simply doesn't want to wake up.
Every day, I start adding new rituals to my newly three-hour morning regimen. I make coffee, make breakfast (breakfast! I haven't had breakfast since I was eight-years-old!), study the bible, practice guitar, and play World of Warcraft until it's time for work (my blood-elf paladin can finally catch up with my unemployed friends!). On top of all that, I show up for work a half-hour early.
They say it only takes two weeks to form a life-long habit. I hope I can make it all the way to next Monday.
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