Use All Necessary Force
October 30, 2007
My work hours are very flexible. As long as I’m available for meetings, hit my deadlines, and make my monthly hours, I can basically work when I want. This means I don’t have a strict time I need to be at work in the morning.
I love this about my job, and I consider it a big perk to have, but it also means that there are no repercussions for sleeping in. I’ve never been good with early starts, and when I’m laying in bed in the morning, mentally negotiating how much longer I can sleep, it’s hard to drag myself out when I know I can just make up the time that evening. Obviously, working into the early evening is horrible, but try telling my morning brain that. It will not listen. This last month I feel like I’ve regressed into my former high school self, as far as my sleeping schedule is concerned. I’ve been sleeping in later and later, and it really needs to stop. I actually have fairly good will power, but not in my weakened morning state.
I seem to have finally found a technique that works for me, until I get my act together. First, set one alarm by the bed. Then set a second alarm outside of your bedroom door. Finally, set a third alarm next to your computer, with a nasty notice pasted to it.
By the time you read the note, sit down at your computer, and check your e-mail, you’ve been away from the bed for long enough to defend against its siren song.
The Wordpress theme I’m using won’t let me center any images within a post. It’s something to do with floating block elements, I think, and it’s too late to figure it out right now. Anyway, that’s why the image isn’t centered. Carry on.
Comment by Rob — October 30, 2007 @ 11:54 pm
That’s a pretty good system. :) Any I tip my hat to you for the flexible work hours.
Comment by strugglingwriter — October 31, 2007 @ 8:44 am
I have got to try this.
Comment by Suzie — October 31, 2007 @ 11:04 am
That’s glorious! I love it.
Comment by Amanda — October 31, 2007 @ 11:19 am
Need a sure-fire method to shock yourself awake each morning? Get yourself a five-year-old.
Comment by Jaye Wells — October 31, 2007 @ 3:24 pm
Haha, I have a similar but less complex method - I just put my alarm on my desk rather than on my bedside table, which means I have to get out of bed to switch it off. While I do sometimes crawl back into bed for an extra ten minutes, it does -usually- do the trick.
Comment by Soph — October 31, 2007 @ 3:30 pm
You sound as bad as my partner! ;-) Happily, my early morning brain is pretty smart - it says, let’s get going now and think of all the time we’ll have to play later.
Comment by Absolute Vanilla (and Atyllah) — November 1, 2007 @ 1:34 am
Jaye, that’s a little too extreme for me. Maybe a cat… :)
I tried putting a single alarm across the room, Soph, but I just crawl back into bed. So undisciplined in the morning!
I’m trying to train my morning brain to be smarter, Vanilla. It’s been a slooow process.
Comment by Rob — November 1, 2007 @ 8:29 pm