Sleep Now In The Fire

No energy? I'm the same way sometimes. I've been taking steps of late to increase my energy level and after just a short time, I have to say it's worth it. In case you are interested, Dumb Little Man has an informative post on things you can do to increase your energy. All of them very simple, but very good.

My biggest foe in the quest of maximizing energy is not getting enough sleep. I've heard it all my life. A person needs at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night to be healthy. I never wanted to believe it. There was always something else that was much more interesting going on than sleep. I even convinced myself I didn't need as much as other people, and at times I probably didn't. However I would always have those nights where I'd crash, and crash hard for hours upon hours. Sleep is boring and uninteresting. Why would I want to do that?

3 Ways I'm Taking Back Sleep

1. Eliminating the snooze button. This has been one of the hardest things for me to do. I can tell myself and tell myself I'm not going to do it the night before, but as soon as that alarm goes off an entirely different rationale comes into my mind. "Just nine more minutes. What's nine more minutes?" The problem with this is nine more minutes becomes eighteen, then twenty-seven, and on some mornings it goes on and on. I've just been forcing myself to get up as soon as the alarm goes off, wander aimlessly into another room, and focus on something productive to do. So far, so good...
   
2. Same time every morning. I've figured out a certain time I will awake every morning (except Saturdays and Sundays - 8AM). My time is 5 AM, yours might be a different time. Five in the morning comes whether I went to bed at 9 PM or midnight. So I awake at five no matter what (of course this eliminates the snooze option, and forces me to go to bed earlier). It gives me plenty of time to organize my day, think about what it is I need to accomplish as the day moves on, and best of all I don't have to rush around doing everything last minute before work. Mornings are more pleasant and not nearly as dreadful.
   
3. Keeping a morning routine. I have certain things I have started doing in the morning. You probably have certain things you could accomplish in the morning before work too. I wrote down a list of tasks I could get done in the mornings, and went with that. It's been great so far. By the time I get to work, I not only feel well rested, I have gotten quite a bit accomplished.
   

Your options may be different. But these are some things I've done to try and capture enough sleep and regain some energy. It takes commitment, but you will feel much better for it in the end. I'm not perfect yet, but I see the edge of the woods. I just have to keep ignoring that snooze button!