It is no secret that Richard is one of those annoying early bird morning people and I am the complete opposite, miss night time body clock that the world does not accept. I’ve spent my whole adult life wanting to be awake and working when everyone else is either half asleep or already long in zzzzz land – this is annoying for all involved. I remember thinking my ideal working day would be 3pm til midnight but everyone else has other ideas. They also think you are lazy and simply don’t understand why you can not get up and work at stupid o clock like them.
It is not about being awake, eyes open, this does not mean my brain is awake and ready for html and pixels. No – this just means I have the skill to see at this point. People are different – my ability to work for hours on end into the evening being productive and highly motivated will not work for those who’s brains are switched on earlier.
After all this fight with the rest of the planet, I eventually caved and decided to try and force myself to be a morning person. This is no mean feat – this means changing everything about my natural body clock and forcing my body and mind to work at a time of day it is simple not geared up for.(My lovely friend Julia will totally get this!) So – it’s been 2 years, I’ve tried everything so as not to bore with a very long list of failed attempts, you will just have to believe that I have.
A body clock break through
And then one day I read another body clock article (yes – I’ve read 100’s) that simply suggested setting your alarm clock daily to the time that will allow you to be on time for the earliest regular commitment you have. Unfortunately, for me I attend a 6.30am networking meeting every fortnight (I know, right? pigs can fly now too). This networking is something I decided to commit to about a year and a half ago, part of my, let’s force the clock idea, mmm. Let’s just say I don’t think I spoke to anyone and made any sense for at least the first few months. If I did, I apologise I have no memory of our conversations – I was asleep.
So according to yet another body clocks article this meant setting my alarm for 5.45am everyday. Yes – everyday. Days off, holidays, when I’m ill, every single day. This is my idea of hell.
The idea is that if your body is interrupted form it’s sleep at the same time every morning then your body clock will adjust over time. 6 months or so later it is starting to work. This is real commitment but I am beginning to see the benefits. You morning people don’t know how lucky you are.
Worth the trauma
So over the last few months my alarm as gone off at 6.45am everyday and Thursday morning I had a break through. The pictures for this post are Billy Wynt in Talbot Green, we walked up there BEFORE breakfast and were back before 8.30am just in time for a sausage sarnie before work.
This little spot is amazing and not far from our house so it’s a perfect mini adventure. We left the house around 7am and it was the perfect way to start the day. I’ve still got along way to go but I’m winning the battle of the body clocks and it feels good.
This change is huge for me and it is making a difference to my working days – I am far more productive in the daytime now and I no longer work in the evenings.
What would you change? What commitment would you need to make? Once you start winning you’ll wonder why it took you so long in the first place.
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