For those who are self-employed, work from home, or set their own schedule, just the simple act of waking up at the proper time in the morning can become an issue. Who doesn't like a little extra shut eye every so often---a little extra time in Dreamland? Since you are your own boss, it's tempting to be late every day. The problems with this behavior, however, quickly present themselves.
Firstly, an irregular sleep schedule tends to drift. You start going to sleep around 2AM, but in a couple of weeks, 2AM becomes 3AM, then 4AM, and eventually you're going to bed when the sun rises. An inconsistent sleep schedule is no better. Some days, you fall asleep at four in the morning, and other days you're asleep before eight in the evening.
So, why is this bad? Well, there are some significant physiological side effects to having a poor sleep schedule which any Internet search can reveal to you. But beyond those, there are some significant psychological effects as well. For one, you immediately start the day frustrated, off-schedule, sleep-deprived (grumpy), and if you wake up very late, you have the feeling that much of the "workable" or "productive" day has already passed. For me, it was like every day was beginning with a small failure.
So, how did I get back on track? Well, let me begin with a few things I've tried that have not worked for me:
- Wake Up Calls. You pick up the phone, listen for five seconds, hang up, and go back to sleep. Wake up calls are only effective if you're already in the habit of waking up. If you aren't, they're worthless.
- Multiple Alarm Clocks. At one time I was using three alarms on my phone, another in the room, and the timer on my stereo. Again, I would remain awake only for the time necessary to disable each (or just sleep through the stereo). Then it was back to Dreamland. You should only need one alarm clock at most. (And, if you can keep the same schedule each and every night, you'll probably won't even need one after a few weeks.)
- Recruitment. Don't ask another person to wake you up unless you have no other means of waking up. You'll be grumpy, and you'll make them grumpy when you roll over and repeatedly go back to sleep. Plus, one day they might "try to help" by dousing you with water. More likely, they'll just let you sleep.
- Moving The Alarm Clock Across The Room. A lot of people seem to think this is a brilliant solution, so I tried it. When the alarm went off, I'd get up, disable the alarm, take three steps back to the bed, and go back to sleep. I will say, however, that once you develop the habit of waking on time, having the alarm more than arm's length away will reduce the possibility of disabling the alarm while you're still asleep.
- Pills. I've used prescription and non-prescription sleep aids, and the bottom line is that I don't want to have to rely on them. Occasionally, I will use Melatonin, but even this I only use when I know I can get my maximum amount of sleep (9 hours). Melatonin seems to keep you knocked out for a while so it's not good for days when you'll have to get by on less than your ideal sleep amount (although it does give you some vivid dreams).
Before I explain what ultimately worked for me, I'd like to share with you some solid techniques that are worth trying and are part of my "toolbox" used with this issue:
- Starting With A Shower. This is a classic, and for good reason. It works. It is very difficult to take a full shower, get dressed, and not be awake enough to continue on with day. Granted, you could slip back into your pajamas and crawl back into bed after a shower, but at that point you're making a conscious effort to go to sleep again instead of waking up.
- Get The Paper. You may not get a newspaper, but you can take out the garbage, make yourself some tea or breakfast, or start a load of laundry. Any activity that keeps you upright and in motion for more than two minutes will bring you further away from that "danger zone" where you can fall back to sleep instantly. Going to the bathroom doesn't count; you're used to doing that and returning to sleep.
- 7 Day Schedule. Go to bed at the same time every day. That's it. It's a lot more difficult to control your waking hour than it is to choose the time you get into bed, so pick a time and stick to it. The trouble with this one is you'll have to pick a time that will work for you consistently over the entire week. If you pick 10PM, but are frequently going to parties or late night movies on the weekends, this won't work. It's better to pick midnight and stick to it than pick 10PM and continually break the schedule.
While the above are certainly helpful activities to help you succeed, I found the majority of the battle is in your head. That was quite a revelation for me. With that in mind (no pun intended), the following are the techniques I've used to used with great success in finally getting a grip on my sleep schedule:
- Experiment. It's probably not going to happen overnight, and it may take some experimentation to find out what works for you. That's OK. You're focused on the problem, you're moving in the right direction, and you're trying things. That's what's most important.
- Schedule The Morning. I used to make appointments for everything in the afternoon because that's when I knew I'd be up. But what I discovered was that if I had to make a morning appointment, I got up. So, given that accountability to others is such a strong motivator, I now schedule appointments and activities for the morning when I can. You may not like the idea of it, but if you want something that works, this is it.
- It's About More Than Sleep. This is the first breakthrough I had. I started realizing that, in essence, every day is a reflection on whether or not I can effectively be part of the self-employed, entrepreneurial, work-from-home group. I found myself saying to myself "If you can't regain control of the simple act of waking up, then maybe this lifestyle isn't for you. Maybe a regular nine-to-five job is what you need to keep your sleep schedule consistent." Well, that was a wake up call for me. Now I found that I was challenging myself, and I enjoy a good challenge.
- Be Consistent With Who You Are Becoming. Many of us have an "ideal" version of ourselves in mind. It's what we are striving for each day, how we see ourselves when we daydream of the future, the reason we drive ourselves to achieve anything. So, when you're faced with a choice---in this case, whether to bounce out of bed or roll over and go back to sleep---take just two seconds to ask yourself, "Is this consistent with who I'm becoming?" Whatever the answer, the decision is clear. And every time you make a decision that is consistent with who you are becoming, you are one step closer to becoming that person, and you have one additional success under your belt to motivate you next time.
- Every New Day Is A Good Day. James Allen wrote in As A Man Thinketh, "There is a sense in which every day may be regarded as the beginning of a new life, in which one can think, act, and live newly, and in a wiser and better spirit." Put this on the nightstand or remind yourself of it in the morning, and a small part of you will immediately do it's part to rally the rest of you.
In conclusion, I experimented with many different suggestions until I found some that worked effectively for me. You may find different things work for you. I'd love to hear what they are. Beyond lifehacks, I found that if I changed the way I thought about sleep, about oversleeping, about waking, I could make enormous progress in a short amount of time.
Finally, if you've read my previous post on the subject, you'll know I don't claim to be an expert, having had a significant problem in this area for some time---and I'm not even completely out of the woods yet. I overslept twice in the past ten days. Even so, I'm much further along than I was just a few weeks ago.
I hope you've found something of value here. Don't be afraid to disagree, but don't be afraid to agree, either.
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PS: Before trying any techniques outlined herein or elsewhere, you'll want to have a good understanding of how much sleep you actually need nightly. To answer that question and for some good practices for falling asleep, I'd recommend these articles:
http://bit.ly/3wSaCA
http://bit.ly/XnqhX
