Pennsif’s Progress #582 – Let's talk about sleep
I was going to write this blog post about 'How Steem has changed my life'. I have a bucket load of positives for steem - but one great big fat negative.
Sleep. The lack thereof.
I have always been a bit of a late bird. From pulling 'all-nighters' as a student to get the assignments in before the 9am deadline, to working through the night in the office when I first started my business, to getting over-absorbed in online gaming when I was an Entropia addict.
But they all tended to be occasional. Steem has become habitual.
Getting to bed by 3am is an early night for me in my world run on Universal Steem Time. Many nights I am still awake to see the sunrise. And then I start work again by 9.30am.
We all know the story. Discord figures heavily in it. With DMs coming in from people all round the world, and all around the clock, it is hard to stop. I always try to answer every message.
I set myself extra steem challenges by having a continual rollcall of time critical fixed points in the week - A Dollar A Day donations every day, My Life In 8 Songs every Thursday, The Alternative Lifestyle Show every Friday, MSP Sustainability Curation post every Sunday...
They all have associated actions that have to be done at certain times. "It can wait til tomorrow" is not usually an option.
And I have a full-time day job as well, so most of my steem activity has to start after 5.30pm when my second work day begins.
I enjoy it, so I keep doing it.
But I know it is not for the best. Working late into the early morning is not good for my health, it is not good for my productivity, it is not good for my creativity and not good for my inspiration.
It has to stop. But how?
I am going to try to flick the switch - go to bed early, and get up early.
Maybe real early, like 5am early. Then I can still just catch some of the American east coasters that I work with and the west coasters should be fine. It should also be okay for the people in south east Asian that I interact with.
So that is the plan. I am going to try to get to bed by 11pm at the very latest.
If you see me on Discord after that time - feel free to remind me it is my past my bed time. Shout at me and publicly humilate me on air if I am still lurking around listening to a radio show.
Except my radio shows on Thursdays and Fridays - they will have to be the exceptions.
I know when I do so occasionally have a long night's sleep I am all of a buzz the next day with super productivity and new ideas aplenty.
So if I do manage to turn back time and get my sleep patterns repaired look out for some weird and wonderful stuff come flowing from my brain.
But for now sleep tight and I'll catch you with the sunrise...
PROJECTS :
Introducing @communityaction - taking steem out into the community
A Dollar A Day charitable giving project : July 2018 - summary of donations received and given out
BLOGS :
RADIO :
The Alternative Lifestyle Show - Friday 10 August 2018 with @informationwar [recording]
My Life In 8 Songs - 9 August 2018 - @d-vine, @darrenclaxton & @onemedia [recording]
[ images from pixabay.com ]
Oh so we have permission to scold you? COOL!
secretly hope I catch you on steemit after bedtime!
I'd better change my Discord name and wear a disguise...
lol- I'll track you down!!
Oh @Pennsif - Yeah it can get HEAVY! If you don't reel yourself in, it'll have detrimental effects!
SLEEP man.....
I always set a cut off for around 10pm...... Everything else can wait...
10pm sounds like an excellent target - I will attempt to work towards it.
I can barely make it to 8PM anymore.. waking up at 4:30am and having a full day gets me tired early... sad thing is... just six years ago I was awake until 4am then sleeping until 9 or 10 am- completely switched the bedtime routine around here
Ah, yeah we've all got to find ourselves and our routines... I used to stay awake till midnight, now my cut off is 10pm and all is good.
Rest is essential Friend! maybe you want to please everyone, but you should feel sorry for your health. By the way, what you do is admirable. God bless you for that.
Greetings friend!
Sleep is important for your overall health, @pennsif. Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. I was burning the candle at both ends for about 4 months last fall and I really noticed the effect it had on me. So now I am in bed and asleep by ten and up at 3:30 or 4:00 so I can take my morning walk on the beach and have time to meditate. Then I notice the productivity goes up and I can deal whatever the day brings me.
Wow, you do well on little sleep huh?! I need 8 hours minimum and do much better on 9 every night. I've been that way always and it has always amazed me that some people work well with 5 hours. It must be wonderful not to have to stay in bed for so long out of every 24 hours. Do you think it is learned or just your nature?
I think it is just my nature. I know when I feel the need to sleep more, I am ill and need the sleep. Otherwise, I do well on less than others. If I get too much sleep, I tend to be groggy and my thinking is not as clear. This may change as I get older as I did with my parents and grandparents...
You need sleep! You are all about sustainability and you can't be sustainable if you're burning your candle at both ends. I hope you take your sleep back and become even more productive. I trust this is part of the changes you announced recently?
I totally understand, I am the same way having a hard time falling asleep. Working my body to exhaustion has been helping recently. When I fall asleep it feels great and I wake naturally from it. I've also found through detoxing my body can get by with less sleep. Your cells work on repair when you sleep and if they aren't having to work as hard then you don't need as much I think. If I catch you up super late I'll holler at ya! lol
Just passing through, but going to put a tactical comment so I can return to this later. I have an erratic sleep pattern so this may be a good read.
See you tonight, I'll be tuned in :)