My sleep schedule has always been something holding me back. I would resort to three to four days of sleep daily with extracurriculars and school work weighing down my plate. I wanted to succeed, sacrificing my precious sleep for it.
I expected it to get worse as quarantine started as I had so much freedom and no 7 a.m. alarm to bother me. Eventually, it led to my daily schedule ranging from 2 p.m. to 3 or 4 a.m.. To be honest, I wasn't mad at it. It just sucked when I had work the next morning.
Now, with school starting soon and a busier schedule than ever, I wanted to try and fix that. At first, I was hesitant to drastically change my schedule by waking up at 5 a.m., but I compromised with my self and set a goal to be up and running by 6 a.m. Here's how that went.
Day 1: Monday
Day one was obviously the worst. Not only was it the first day of a complete change, but it was also a Monday. Mondays have always been extremely busy and draining.
I ended up actually getting out of bed around 7 a.m. out of pure exhaustion. With heavy eyelids, I trudged on with the day. Ultimately, it wasn't too bad.
After splashing a couple of rounds of water on my face I was pretty awake. I tried to stay away from coffee to see how it would really be for me to be change up my sleep schedule.
Throughout the day, there were moments of frustration along with prolonged yawning sessions as my eyes watered. I could barely focus on my work for the day as my mind fell in a daze several times. By the end of the day, I was so tired I skipped my workout and headed to bed by 10 p.m.. Altogether, not the best experience.
Day 2: Tuesday
I actually got up at 6 a.m., so it was a good start. Tuesday was filled with multiple meetings on Zoom, so I didn't pay much attention to the fact that I had to get up early. I was too preoccupied.
At around 4 p.m. the fatigue started to set in along with the expected excessive yawning. I did a workout and slept at around 11 p.m.
Day 3: Wednesday
I honestly still dreaded the fact that I needed to wake up early, but it was just another thing that I needed to get done for the day. On a normal day, I make a to-do list on a sticky note and put it on my desk. I think Wednesday was the first day that I noticed my productivity increase as the week went on.
My to-do usually has about two to three items left unchecked as I tend to overcompensate, but I actually finished everything that day. I ended up sleeping at around midnight, however, because I tried to finish everything.
Day 4: Thursday
Unfortunately, I broke the cycle here. I woke up at 8 because of the late-night on Wednesday, but at least I felt well-rested. Thursday was similar to the day before. I crossed the majority of my to-do list off, and my energy levels increased, allowing for more effort to be put into the work I did.
Day 5: Friday
I'm not sure if you want to read a repeat of Thursday.
With the five days complete, I rate this experience an 8/10. I would definitely not like to relive the beginning. I don't necessarily wake up at 6 a.m. now, but I still wake up relatively early and try to finish up at around midnight. My productivity levels increased drastically because my body works when its on deadline.
For those of you who would like to change it up, try this and you might find your natural cycle. Everyone is a little different, so if you think you work best as a night owl, then be a night owl. Do what is right for you.
