I awoke without an alarm! And I felt well rested and content.
Coffee. Conversation. A bike ride on the tundra.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Day 19: 7:00am
Today, I realized that my desire to become a morning person stems from something bigger. I want a better, healthier balance in my life.
I want to balance my busy life with quiet alone time, with time dedicated to creativity and exercise. I want mornings to be a time to collect, organize, and maintain structure in my personal space. These things I have come to capture in my idealistic, overly romanticized idea of what it is to be a morning person.
I arrived home from Oscarville this evening and sat in beautiful silence for a while. I washed the dishes while listening to some quiet Christmas music. I lit candles. I transitioned from the busy work week into a quiet, contemplative time before jumping into the more social aspects of the weekend. I achieved my morning person goals, only between the hours of 5 and 7pm rather than 6 and 8am.
And that's ok with me.
Perhaps this is my first, higher priority. To find and maintain some sort of balance. Maybe this is what this project is really about for me.
I want to balance my busy life with quiet alone time, with time dedicated to creativity and exercise. I want mornings to be a time to collect, organize, and maintain structure in my personal space. These things I have come to capture in my idealistic, overly romanticized idea of what it is to be a morning person.
I arrived home from Oscarville this evening and sat in beautiful silence for a while. I washed the dishes while listening to some quiet Christmas music. I lit candles. I transitioned from the busy work week into a quiet, contemplative time before jumping into the more social aspects of the weekend. I achieved my morning person goals, only between the hours of 5 and 7pm rather than 6 and 8am.
And that's ok with me.
Perhaps this is my first, higher priority. To find and maintain some sort of balance. Maybe this is what this project is really about for me.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Day 18: 7:15am
Last night, I was proud of myself for 2 reasons:
Today's a sick day.
- I was in bed by 10:00pm (this is early!)
- I left my computer in the living room when I went to bed
Today's a sick day.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Day 17: 7:24am
I slept through the first, second, and third alarm. All day I was burdened by an abnormally heavy exhaustion. I hope I'm not getting sick. I'll try to be in bed by 11 tonight.
Day 17: 10AM
Last night Paul and I decided to celebrate the current standing of our bank account which for once isn't hovering just above zero. Dinner led to drinks and after decorating our Christmas tree we made our way to Bar 4 where Paul played a few songs. It was late by the time we got home and I think my official going to sleep time was around 1:30. Paul was out of bed early so I snuggled with the cat from about 7-10am. It was Glorious. She is so freaking adorable I just can't believe it.
Right around 8.5 hours of sleep if you don't count interruptions by way of chickens clucking and scratchy cat tongue licking my arm.
Despite my prior realizations about how a morning should go I jumped right into work. I've been feeling very motivated lately... And so over-whelmed by the eight or ten awesome projects that I'm continuously falling behind on! It felt good to dive right in. Paul and I went for a nice long walk this afternoon so my brain doesn't feel totally pickled despite the continuous stream of laptop radiation I've subjected it too..
Onward and Upward.
Right around 8.5 hours of sleep if you don't count interruptions by way of chickens clucking and scratchy cat tongue licking my arm.
Despite my prior realizations about how a morning should go I jumped right into work. I've been feeling very motivated lately... And so over-whelmed by the eight or ten awesome projects that I'm continuously falling behind on! It felt good to dive right in. Paul and I went for a nice long walk this afternoon so my brain doesn't feel totally pickled despite the continuous stream of laptop radiation I've subjected it too..
Onward and Upward.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Day 16: 8AM
8AM... I met you with a grumble.
There was a cat hair in my eye.
Paul was nice and that helped.
There are many reasons to be married to Paul. But at 8AM the main reason to be married to Paul is because he is so nice in the morning. He doesn't talk too much and he never snaps at me when I'm grumpy.
There was a cat hair in my eye.
Paul was nice and that helped.
There are many reasons to be married to Paul. But at 8AM the main reason to be married to Paul is because he is so nice in the morning. He doesn't talk too much and he never snaps at me when I'm grumpy.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Day 15: 8:30
Not quite 8. But damn close. We had to scamper to catch the train to Long Island where our little nephew watched for us impatiently at the window.
Today's Highlights:
- Listening to Jack's very faint lisp as he told a story about a cricket jumping on the car.
- Feeding baby Caroline. She is so smiley its ridiculous.
- Discussing the recent announcement from the Vatican's head exorcist with my Mother-in-Law... "Yoga and Harry Potter are satanic." We both agreed that he must be senile.
- Paul's chicken and root vegetable soup.
Today's Highlights:
- Listening to Jack's very faint lisp as he told a story about a cricket jumping on the car.
- Feeding baby Caroline. She is so smiley its ridiculous.
- Discussing the recent announcement from the Vatican's head exorcist with my Mother-in-Law... "Yoga and Harry Potter are satanic." We both agreed that he must be senile.
- Paul's chicken and root vegetable soup.
Day 14: 8:30am
I didn't want a morning in Juneau to go to waste. That and the fact that I'm staying in a friend's empty apartment and for once have that lovely quiet alone time in the morning all to myself!
The apartment has a great view, being on a hill overlooking downtown Juneau and the water below. You can see the hilly islands and snow covered trees on the mountains. A dense foggy mist was hanging over the mountains.
This is the kind of morning I wish I could have every morning. A chance to take in some beauty and just be still and quiet for a little while. I went for a walk downtown. It's so nice here, I wore a light sweater-like jacket. The streets were silent. The historic looking shops and buildings were all closed. It was as if I had the town to myself. The misty rain made the setting all the more mysterious. I finally settled down in a coffee shop at the window, waiting for the sleepy world to wake up.
It was, all in all, a nice morning.
The apartment has a great view, being on a hill overlooking downtown Juneau and the water below. You can see the hilly islands and snow covered trees on the mountains. A dense foggy mist was hanging over the mountains.
This is the kind of morning I wish I could have every morning. A chance to take in some beauty and just be still and quiet for a little while. I went for a walk downtown. It's so nice here, I wore a light sweater-like jacket. The streets were silent. The historic looking shops and buildings were all closed. It was as if I had the town to myself. The misty rain made the setting all the more mysterious. I finally settled down in a coffee shop at the window, waiting for the sleepy world to wake up.
It was, all in all, a nice morning.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Day 13: 6:30am... kinda
6:30. 6:45. 7:00. 7:30.
The persistent, annoying alarm clock finally got on my nerves at 7:33, which got me out of bed. I would have cherished every extra drop of sleep I could get, but I came to Juneau for a reason and must go observe the southeast robotics tournament.
The persistent, annoying alarm clock finally got on my nerves at 7:33, which got me out of bed. I would have cherished every extra drop of sleep I could get, but I came to Juneau for a reason and must go observe the southeast robotics tournament.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Day 12: 6:00am
Yay! I finally hit my goal today!
I went walking with a friend last night, and he really challenged me on the reality of my goal setting. He asked how it was going, and my response was, "not well." He then asked if I'm waking up any earlier than I did before the project start, to which I answered yes. His conclusion is that I set my goals too high and need to consider 'baby steps'. Oh yes, like Bob. The whole conversation echoed of another conversation I'd had with my room mate. I'm thankful for friends who speak honestly with me. It's added much to those thoughts a-brewing in my head.
Overall, this morning was a productive morning, mostly because I had to get on the morning jet and had to run to the office before I left. Took a shower, packed, peddled my bike to the office, grabbed some stuff, peddled back home, and was in a cab to the airport by 7:30. Juneau here I come!
I went walking with a friend last night, and he really challenged me on the reality of my goal setting. He asked how it was going, and my response was, "not well." He then asked if I'm waking up any earlier than I did before the project start, to which I answered yes. His conclusion is that I set my goals too high and need to consider 'baby steps'. Oh yes, like Bob. The whole conversation echoed of another conversation I'd had with my room mate. I'm thankful for friends who speak honestly with me. It's added much to those thoughts a-brewing in my head.
Overall, this morning was a productive morning, mostly because I had to get on the morning jet and had to run to the office before I left. Took a shower, packed, peddled my bike to the office, grabbed some stuff, peddled back home, and was in a cab to the airport by 7:30. Juneau here I come!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Day 11: 7:00am
Yep, another 7:00 morning, despite my 6:00 goal.
I'm thinking I shouldn't stay up till 2:00am if I want to wake up at 6:00. I also realize that I've made this realization before but have been making little to no progress on it.
Somethings a-brewin' in my head... lots of thoughts going on up there regarding this project.
I'm thinking I shouldn't stay up till 2:00am if I want to wake up at 6:00. I also realize that I've made this realization before but have been making little to no progress on it.
Somethings a-brewin' in my head... lots of thoughts going on up there regarding this project.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Day 10: 7:00am
It was one of those days where I felt as if my body had melted into the mattress. I slept through the alarm and woke to the sound of my room mate moving around the apartment.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Day 9: 7:00am
When preparing to embark upon this journey to Kipnuk and Chefornak for a couple of days, I followed the wise words of our friend Shelly, who posted a comment on one of Katie's posts:
When you travel, bring along a special object that helps you to center yourself. It could be something as straightforward as a tea cup that you love, a travel pillow that softens the hard school floor or a magazine you like to read. For whatever reason, the New Yorker magazine makes me feel happy. I love to read it.
The specific examples Shelly gave were very in-tune with who I am, and therefore I packed a bag of tea, a cup, and a pillow.
Rather than being blessed by such soothing, centering objects from home, I ended up deprived of all travel luxuries on this particular trip. That's right. Era Aviation, made famous by the TV show Flying Wild Alaska, for some reason decided to bump all luggage from our flight. And from the next flight. And thanks to a blizzard that has now set in, I am likely to receive no luggage today as there have yet to be any flights. It is quite likely that I'll be stranded here.
No sleeping bag. No pillow. No food. No toothbrush. No clothing. Thank goodness for kind teachers who fed me and supplied me with a blanket.
Katie and I seem to be on a very similar pattern of realizations and lessons learned. Just this morning, I picked my computer up and found myself swamped by responding to work emails, stumbling on stumbled upon, and reading the news on CNN all at once. Not so relaxing, I must say. Right then and there, I decided to stop using computers in the morning and to focus on exercise and or reading real books or magazines. The computer only promotes work or a waste of time. It has no place in my mornings!
Another lesson I learned today was that 6:00 am isn't necessary in reaching my morning person goal. Here in KPN, I have a little more time before the start of my work day. Even though I slept till 7:00, I had an hour and a half of relaxed time, drinking coffee and reading the New Yorker, which I happened to find laying around in a pile of bathroom literature. It was still plenty of morning time and was worth the 1 extra hour of sleep.
NEW RULES (for me):
When you travel, bring along a special object that helps you to center yourself. It could be something as straightforward as a tea cup that you love, a travel pillow that softens the hard school floor or a magazine you like to read. For whatever reason, the New Yorker magazine makes me feel happy. I love to read it.
The specific examples Shelly gave were very in-tune with who I am, and therefore I packed a bag of tea, a cup, and a pillow.
Rather than being blessed by such soothing, centering objects from home, I ended up deprived of all travel luxuries on this particular trip. That's right. Era Aviation, made famous by the TV show Flying Wild Alaska, for some reason decided to bump all luggage from our flight. And from the next flight. And thanks to a blizzard that has now set in, I am likely to receive no luggage today as there have yet to be any flights. It is quite likely that I'll be stranded here.
No sleeping bag. No pillow. No food. No toothbrush. No clothing. Thank goodness for kind teachers who fed me and supplied me with a blanket.
_________
Katie and I seem to be on a very similar pattern of realizations and lessons learned. Just this morning, I picked my computer up and found myself swamped by responding to work emails, stumbling on stumbled upon, and reading the news on CNN all at once. Not so relaxing, I must say. Right then and there, I decided to stop using computers in the morning and to focus on exercise and or reading real books or magazines. The computer only promotes work or a waste of time. It has no place in my mornings!
Another lesson I learned today was that 6:00 am isn't necessary in reaching my morning person goal. Here in KPN, I have a little more time before the start of my work day. Even though I slept till 7:00, I had an hour and a half of relaxed time, drinking coffee and reading the New Yorker, which I happened to find laying around in a pile of bathroom literature. It was still plenty of morning time and was worth the 1 extra hour of sleep.
_________
NEW RULES (for me):
- Ensure that I go to bed 7-8 hours prior to my desired wake up time
- Wake up time can flex, dependent upon my work day's start, allowing myself at least 1 1/2 hour of morning time
- No computers in my morning!
- Never get on a plane unless I see my bag is there
- Carry my toothbrush and sleeping bag on me at all times, in case the previous rule is broken
Day 9: 9AM
Well I got to bed one-hour earlier and woke-up one-hour earlier for another 8-hour sleep venture. Nice! I was feeling extra crappy and whiny upon wake-up so Paul suggested we go for a run together. The park was cool and misty and glorious!
In other news, my little brain is melting into a stress puddle this week... I had a nightmare that I overslept and missed half of the event I'm shooting tomorrow. It was such a horrendous feeling. I was running around like a maniac trying to pack my camera bag and saying over and over again... I can't believe it, I'm such an idiot!!
At some point my eyes popped open I realized it was just a bad dream. Oh the flood of relief! Now I will set 5 alarms tomorrow to ensure that it does not go down like that...
***
Tonight my goal is to be in bed by 11:30 so that I can get-up by 8AM and get back on track with my original morning challenge. I have to be in the city by 11AM so this will give me a couple of hours to relax and get some exercise.
Two more thing I've learned about mornings:
1. The internet is an aspiring morning persons worst enemy. I think that I'm so cool because I don't have a television but the truth is that I burn hours in front of the computer screen everyday!
2. I look forward to getting out of bed when I have something yummy to eat for breakfast. Like really nice Chai tea from Butterfly Herbs in Missoula, homemade banana bread, almond butter and homemade applesauce.
In other news, my little brain is melting into a stress puddle this week... I had a nightmare that I overslept and missed half of the event I'm shooting tomorrow. It was such a horrendous feeling. I was running around like a maniac trying to pack my camera bag and saying over and over again... I can't believe it, I'm such an idiot!!
At some point my eyes popped open I realized it was just a bad dream. Oh the flood of relief! Now I will set 5 alarms tomorrow to ensure that it does not go down like that...
***
Tonight my goal is to be in bed by 11:30 so that I can get-up by 8AM and get back on track with my original morning challenge. I have to be in the city by 11AM so this will give me a couple of hours to relax and get some exercise.
Two more thing I've learned about mornings:
1. The internet is an aspiring morning persons worst enemy. I think that I'm so cool because I don't have a television but the truth is that I burn hours in front of the computer screen everyday!
2. I look forward to getting out of bed when I have something yummy to eat for breakfast. Like really nice Chai tea from Butterfly Herbs in Missoula, homemade banana bread, almond butter and homemade applesauce.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Day 8: 7:30am
As of today, it's been exactly one week since I began the morning person challenge.
Lessons learned over the past week:
Lessons learned over the past week:
- Being a morning person means more than waking up early
- The quality of your morning is directly linked to the time at which you go to bed
- When traveling, bring a special object with you to sort of root yourself and make the space your own
________________________
Day 8: 10AM
I'm changing the RULES.
Mostly because my definition of a morning person has changed. To be a morning person one must have sleep. And that is one thing that part of last week lacked. And over the weekend I relished in it. Sleep.
I think that's why I beat the flu before it really hit me.
I'm now focusing on three things:
Going to bed earlier
Getting up 8-hours after I go to bed
Avoiding the internet for the first 30-minutes of the day.
For example. Last night I went to bed at 2AM. Not early, I know. But I got up at 10AM after sleeping 8-hours. Had a beautiful breakfast of banana bread with almond butter and homemade apple sauce and then got to work. I went for a really great run and saw the space for an event I'm shooting later this week. Feeling productive and excited about this new idea of structure.
I think what I dislike most about my mornings is when I get up late and sit at my computer for hours on end flipping back and forth between answering emails and reading facebook posts. YUCK. Makes my brain feel pickled.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Day 7: 10:30am
This was my official sleep in morning! How wonderful that felt!
This morning project has often found itself mockingly compared to alcoholics anonymous among my friends. In honor of that, here are a few great quotes, some of which I just might have altered slightly.
This morning project has often found itself mockingly compared to alcoholics anonymous among my friends. In honor of that, here are a few great quotes, some of which I just might have altered slightly.
- "We admitted we were powerless over our sleep - that our lives had become unmanageable." ~The Twelve Steps
- "Every form of addiction is bad... unmanageable, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or sleep." ~ Carl Jung, Psychologist
- "Everyone sleeps! Models, actresses, everyone! Don't they realize that it's gross? I understand it's an addiciton, but it still pains me to see my friends do it." ~ Kristen Dunst
Day 7: 10:30AM
It's my sleep in day. And I slept in. A lot. And it was awesome.
Then I made banana bread. Ate breakfast with Paul. Picked kale from the backyard. Worked on some photos. Answered emails. Read a really great blog. Drank wine with friends.
All in all it's been a very productive yet fulfilling day.
Vickie emailed me and asked why I wasn't posting as promptly. Shit.
I think it's because I've been hibernating. Shit.
More tomorrow.
Then I made banana bread. Ate breakfast with Paul. Picked kale from the backyard. Worked on some photos. Answered emails. Read a really great blog. Drank wine with friends.
All in all it's been a very productive yet fulfilling day.
Vickie emailed me and asked why I wasn't posting as promptly. Shit.
I think it's because I've been hibernating. Shit.
More tomorrow.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Day 6: 7:00 am
Today is Saturday, a day that typically falls into the category of "weekend," often affiliated with the concept of not working. Today was also day 2 of the Southwest Regional FLL Robotics tournament, which I have spent a great deal of energy and time helping out with. Thus, for me, this particular Saturday was also affiliated with the concept of "work."
According to my preset goals, a work day requires a 6am wake up, and a non-work day requires an 8am wake up. So, given the above conditions, and in honor of scientific accuracy during this robotics weekend, I decided to average the two times and wake up at 7:00am*.
It was really only one of those survival mornings, though. You know, the type in which you simply wake up, get ready, and walk out the door. And I think I'm ok with that. I think I've just decided that on mornings that require an out-of-the-ordinary early start at work or travel, I don't mind having a survival mode morning. It's more valuable than compromising precious sleep time (which only lasted a few hours anyway).
According to my preset goals, a work day requires a 6am wake up, and a non-work day requires an 8am wake up. So, given the above conditions, and in honor of scientific accuracy during this robotics weekend, I decided to average the two times and wake up at 7:00am*.
It was really only one of those survival mornings, though. You know, the type in which you simply wake up, get ready, and walk out the door. And I think I'm ok with that. I think I've just decided that on mornings that require an out-of-the-ordinary early start at work or travel, I don't mind having a survival mode morning. It's more valuable than compromising precious sleep time (which only lasted a few hours anyway).
___________________________________
*This sentence is a blatant lie. The truth is, I set an alarm for 6:00 am, and another for 6:30.
Day 6: 9:30AM
Well today I just flat-out failed. My pillow was so awesome though.
I need to revisit why I'm doing this. Revisiting...
I need to revisit why I'm doing this. Revisiting...
Friday, December 2, 2011
Day 5: 5:40 am
I worked 14 hours yesterday setting up for the robotics tournament.
I got 3 1/2 hours of sleep.
This was not a morning person morning. It was simply waking up early so I could get back to work.
I got 3 1/2 hours of sleep.
This was not a morning person morning. It was simply waking up early so I could get back to work.
Day 5: 6:57AM
Awoke early in Boston to catch our bus after about 3.5 hours of sleep. Dry throat. Pounding headache. Paul was chipper. It took everything in me to respond.
"Not Talking Yet," I whispered.
"Not Talking Yet," I whispered.
But hey, made it up and out the door.
Vickie had some interesting points in her post yesterday. What are we looking to gain in our mornings?
For the past week I've woken up relatively early and for the most part I've immediately sat down at my computer and worked, answered emails or wasted time looking at pretty blogs.
It really hasn’t been all that fulfilling.
I've always wanted to be a morning person because it seems like the right thing to do. But is being a morning person actually going to serve me?
For the next 6-weeks I can work whenever I damn well please. Sounds fun but this creates a challenge for a procrastinator with a predilection for snuggling and surfing the internet. Plenty to do but no real structure for doing any of it.
The truth is, when the clock says 2PM and I’m sitting at my computer in my bathrobe, I feel like a slug. I think that's what this challenge is really about for me.
So what will tomorrow morning look like? How can I structure my day in a way that serves me?
I should probably start the day by doing something that I like. Here are some things that I like:
Exercise
Walks with Paul
Journaling
Smoothies
Toast with almond butter
Taking photos of sunshine and trees
Daydreaming in Coffee shops
And I should shower and drink tea. Key ingredients to waking my body and brain.
Until tomorrow then.
Day 4: 6:40 AM
Argh.
I slept through my alarm.
Two people texted me today, commenting on the lack of my blog post for this morning.
Thanks for the accountability!
I slept through my alarm.
Two people texted me today, commenting on the lack of my blog post for this morning.
Thanks for the accountability!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Day 4: 8:23AM
A quick note from Boston. I forgot to set my alarm but woke-up on my own at 8:23AM and then went to yoga with my friend Katie. And I felt great!
Vickie's post from yesterday had a lot of interesting points which I shall comment on tomorrow when I return to the city. For now off to Paul's show.
Vickie's post from yesterday had a lot of interesting points which I shall comment on tomorrow when I return to the city. For now off to Paul's show.
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