Sleep is where good intentions go to
die. Every evening I plan to wake up
early. I’m going to have time to go for a run, meditate, or do some writing. I
set my alarm for 30 minutes earlier than I need to - I’m looking forward to
starting the day so productively. It will be fantastic to get into a regular
morning habit. Then sleep… and then the
alarm goes off....
Maybe I’ve slept well
and the bed feels so cosy that I want to stay in just a little longer; or I’ve slept badly and today – just today –
I really need an extra 30 minutes of sleep;
or maybe I’ll just stay in bed and check my emails for a few minutes
before I get up. Suddenly there’s not
quite enough time to run, meditate, or write.
I’ll have to start tomorrow.
Hands up if this sounds familiar. Don’t worry, you’re not alone: we humans are
short-termists. Furthermore, our rational mind gets quickly overwhelmed by
feelings and emotions.
The decision you made the night before is
the right one. Your change of heart and
mind in the morning is born of a desire for comfort, an unwillingness to face
the short-term pain that brings long term change.
Knowing that your original decision is the
right one, you just need to help yourself act on it. Getting to bed earlier is
a big help. Sorting out your sleep will help as well (start by turning off the
TV and computer 60 minutes before going to sleep). Having a supportive partner is useful.
The single most useful thing, though, is to
get OUT of the bedroom. Set an alarm –
no, two alarms, or even three – and position them so that you have to get out
of bed to switch them off. Once you’re out of bed, keep moving. Move to the
kitchen to have some water. Stay out of
the bedroom. And then do your thing.
Whatever it is – running, meditating, reading or writing – make that the
first thing you do. The moment you stop
to read the paper, check emails, or have a quick glance at something online,
you’ve lost. JFDI. And don’t forget to congratulate yourself
when you’re done; but don’t be smug – tomorrow will be just as tough.
Get up, get out, and get going.
I recently chanced upon your blog via another forum - thank you for writing - you write well, and your posts are very thought-provoking and helpful to me. Please continue writing :)
ReplyDeleteI found myself developing a complacency with waking in the morning - hitting the snooze button became a bad habit. At one point I blamed my M.genes! ;)
Your tips are useful, thank you. Some additional ideas I picked up elsewhere which have helped me:
- two of Steve Pavlina's tips were helpful
i. practicing the conditioned response of waking on hearing the alarm go off... http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/04/how-to-get-up-right-away-when-your-alarm-goes-off/
ii. the sleepiness test..."Go to bed only when you’re too sleepy to stay up, and get up at a fixed time every morning"
- and the most important/helpful of all, was about 'keeping boundaries' -- try to be better at keeping promises to myself.
I still slip, but am getting better.
Cheers.
M.P.
Thank you MP. Good points indeed, and I appreciate your input. I think I recognise your genetic origin, but be careful that you are not just using this as an excuse. The desire to hibernate hits all of us in winter - a bed, a cave, or a cosy room in a storage facility are all warm and comfortable. Physical and mental exertion go hand in hand: often the hardest part of exercise is the motivation to get started.
DeleteAll the wishful thinking in the world won't change us. Wishing we were different - in your case a genetic MBH - will do no good. Taking action to become different is the only option.
Best regards, and good luck with you personal journey,
Josh