Get more sleep

I have been going to bed at 22:30 for nine days in a row so far (excluding Saturdays as usual).

On Saturday morning I woke up at 9:00 feeling exactly as well as I used to feel when I woke up at 13:00!

That’s great, I think I’m really getting used to go to bed early: last night I was in bed before 22:30. It was the seventh day in a row (excluding Saturday, as usual). This means, as I have said, that I have reached level 2.

Now lets go for level 3:

“Be in bed with the lights off by 22:30 for fourteen days in a row (excluding Saturday), and succeed by the 1st of September.

One single exception (other than Saturday) for justifiable reasons is allowed.”

It is difficult to define “justifiable reasons” not turning them into excuses, but obviously anything that could have been done earlier is not justifiable (such as using internet, studying, writing a letter or reading a book), while unexpected things such as a bus delayed coming back home or a kitchen pipe broken at 22:00 are justifiable.

Sometimes interactions with everyday life make difficult sleeping enough. For example, the day before yesterday my bicycle’s brakes broke, and I took so long to fix them that I went to bed nearly at midnight… I’m still trying to recover my lost sleeping time!

The picture shows one of my hands after fixing the bike, some five minutes before going to bed.

Now I realise how important is this “smaller” goal to be efficient for the other forty something goals. This cannot be neglected at all!

Last night I was with friends, and I went to bed later than 22:30, so I have to start again to reach that “Level 2” I have agreed with myself.

Anyway, I had a great time with my friends and girlfriend and I don’t feel tired, because the previous nights I have been sleeping well. Sleeping well and enough is one of the greatest inventions of mankind! Who invented such a good thing??

Wasn’t as easy as it might look, but I succeeded to go to bed by 22:30 for four nights in a row! And I can really say that it is much higher life quality. Really worth it.

Level 1 completed. Lets go for level 2! (7 days in a row, excluding Saturday night).

I think I’m doing well with this goal. It might seem very easy to go to bed early, but it is not, as we have so many things to do in our daily life, we have to make an effort to stop doing whatever we are doing finish our day in order to feel better the next day.

Last Monday was a bank holiday here, and I didn’t go to bed early, so I had to start again.

Monday, Tuesday and yesterday night were OK, so if I go to bed by 22:30 tonight as well, I will succeed my “level 1” target!

For the level 2 I will put a target of 7 days in a row (excluding Saturday night as usual), with 30th June as deadline. It is so funny when I do it this way! Even going to bed is some kind of self-competition game.

OK, yesterday I was in bed with the lights off a couple of minutes earlier than 22:30 ;) (Today I will not, as Saturday doesn’t count acording to my self-imposed rules).

The result? I did really lots of things today: I woke up at around 7:00 am (not having to go to work, as today I was off), went out for running, then went to the city centre, bought some books, cleaned a bit my house, went to the laundry, studied, went shopping, watched a documentary with my girlfriend…

I’m looking forward to going to bed early tomorrow as well :) It’s amazing how many things can be done on the same day this way!

I want to get into this good habit. It is important for me, as I want to wake up at 5:30 to run before going to work. To make a smart goal of it, I will define the success so I can know when I can click on “I’ve done this”. I will start with something easy, like:

“Be in bed with the lights off by 22:30 for four days in a row (excluding saturday), and succeed by the 13th of June.”

As I exclude Saturday, these four days could be [Monday to Thursday] or [Friday + Sunday to Tuesday].

On 14th June I will know if I have succeeded or not! If I succeed, I will try something a bit harder :)