Readjust my circadian rhythm so I'm in bed by 2:00 and get up naturally by 9:30 AM.

I had a crazy Fall and Winter, and am totally back to my old habit, if not worse. But I’m going to be completely self-employed on July 1, so this is the time it would make sense to get back to work on regularizing my circadian rhythm. I’m going to have several small businesses, and all of them will require me to be awake when other people are awake. That means I have to be in bed before 2:00, get up at 9:00, and be ready to work at 10:00. Wish me luck!

Since I wrote that last entry, on Dec. 20, I’ve only had three or four days of staying up until 4 or 5 AM. Most nights I’ve been in bed by 2:30 or 3, and this week, I’ve made it by 1:00 every day.

My original goal was to go to bed by 2:00 and get up naturally by 9:30, but I’ve just changed it. Why? I get up at 6:30 about five times a month, and I’m thinking of joining a networking group that meets once a week at 6:45 AM, requiring me to get up at 5:00 AM. Now, I’m not even going to consider making 5:00 AM my regular wake up call – I think it’s unnatural to wake up when it’s still pitch black night. But it’s light by 7:30 even in the dead of Winter, so 7:30 or 8:00 seems reasonable. If I normally get up at 8:00, then it won’t be too horrible getting up at 6:30, or even 5:00, once a week. I’ve been doing the five times a month 6:30 time for six and a half years, and I’m used to that, so I bet I could get used to 5:00 once a week.

I hope it doesn’t take me six and a half years!

I had to get up at 6:30 for two mornings in a row, and I stayed up until 2 both nights before. So last night, I totally fell out at 8:30 PM. Woke up, and stayed up, at 6:30 this morning. Now I don’t expect to be able to get up at 6:30 every morning – it is, after all, still pitch dark then at this time of year – but maybe, having done that this morning, I’ll be tired early again, and can go to bed early enough to get up at my goal of 9:30 or earlier. This is the time of year it should be easier to go to bed early, so perhaps I can take advantage of the early dark.