Re-timing your daily life
Discussion
Stupid title I know but what it is asking is: have any of your changed the timings in your day so that you go to bed earlier and get up earlier?
I remember someone on the COVID thread saying they had done that and on a YT video last night this ex-marine talked about getting up at 4.30 every day and getting so much done before the day even really begins.
He also pointed out that at night people mostly sit and watch TV/YT/look at social media, essentially doing nothing useful.
It made a bit of sense to me as I was sitting there at 10pm watching YT videos and doing nothing useful too. And although this guy didn't say you had to get up at 4.30am he was making a good point I thought.
I remember someone on the COVID thread saying they had done that and on a YT video last night this ex-marine talked about getting up at 4.30 every day and getting so much done before the day even really begins.
He also pointed out that at night people mostly sit and watch TV/YT/look at social media, essentially doing nothing useful.
It made a bit of sense to me as I was sitting there at 10pm watching YT videos and doing nothing useful too. And although this guy didn't say you had to get up at 4.30am he was making a good point I thought.
Yes. Since moving to the countryside it became much easier to adjust our daily routine to better fit the natural daylight patterns. We feel better for it, for sure. Since we don't have a TV, there's less temptation to sit up until midnight staring at one.
Come winter we tend to sleep more simply because of the reduced daylight. In summer we sleep less but don't feel as though we're missing out on it. Waking up to the dawn light does, I think, much improve your body's circadian rhythms. Likewise, not spending hours after sunset being exposed to blue light from TVs, LED bulbs, etc is similarly beneficial.
Come winter we tend to sleep more simply because of the reduced daylight. In summer we sleep less but don't feel as though we're missing out on it. Waking up to the dawn light does, I think, much improve your body's circadian rhythms. Likewise, not spending hours after sunset being exposed to blue light from TVs, LED bulbs, etc is similarly beneficial.
Frimley111R said:
Stupid title I know but what it is asking is: have any of your changed the timings in your day so that you go to bed earlier and get up earlier?
I remember someone on the COVID thread saying they had done that and on a YT video last night this ex-marine talked about getting up at 4.30 every day and getting so much done before the day even really begins.
He also pointed out that at night people mostly sit and watch TV/YT/look at social media, essentially doing nothing useful.
It made a bit of sense to me as I was sitting there at 10pm watching YT videos and doing nothing useful too. And although this guy didn't say you had to get up at 4.30am he was making a good point I thought.
What are all these “useful things” that need doing ?I remember someone on the COVID thread saying they had done that and on a YT video last night this ex-marine talked about getting up at 4.30 every day and getting so much done before the day even really begins.
He also pointed out that at night people mostly sit and watch TV/YT/look at social media, essentially doing nothing useful.
It made a bit of sense to me as I was sitting there at 10pm watching YT videos and doing nothing useful too. And although this guy didn't say you had to get up at 4.30am he was making a good point I thought.
outnumbered said:
What are all these “useful things” that need doing ?
Well in the video he got up and went to the gym/did some exercise, got some work done and then could see his kids before they went to school but for you or me it could be anything really. This is him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xpv-sEKl1B4&t=...
Frimley111R said:
Well in the video he got up and went to the gym/did some exercise, got some work done and then could see his kids before they went to school but for you or me it could be anything really.
Thing is, whenever people say this it's always so damn wholesome.Going to the gym at 5am is held up as some kind of an ideal to aspire to whereas the reality is that regular gym-goers are typically miserable and self-obsessed. Similarly, why the hell would I want to get up early to get a couple of hour's work in?? I do quite enough of the stuff during the day (and yes, the irony of posting this at 9:53 am does not escape me
)Given the choice, I would far rather have a couple of whiskies, play some games, read some books, listen to music, read random crap on the internet. Enjoyable activities. All of which is frowned on at 6am so if it's all the same to you, I'll stay up late to do that stuff and use the early morning for it's proper purpose of sloping in bed until the rest of the family has buggered off.
As a natural night owl, the conventional working day leaves me feeling like I have a mild hangover much of the time. No amount of getting up to catch a train to work has “retrained” me over the years.
The advent of all this working from home has improved things, but not as much as I would like. I rise later and start work at much the same time. But I could still go to bed later/ruse later than I do and feel happier.
My peak working hours are 5-8pm, but convention requires me to have been through the day from when all the “best part of the day” larks are full of beans before I hit my stride.
I’ve been listening to podcasts on productivity and am increasingly considering how I impose my body clock on my working day, and not the other way round.
ETA this worth a read: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.sciencefocus.co.... I can’t find the accompanying programme on iplayer, but remember watching it and having a bit of an “aha” moment as to why getting out of bed early every day made me feel so rubbish all the time.
The advent of all this working from home has improved things, but not as much as I would like. I rise later and start work at much the same time. But I could still go to bed later/ruse later than I do and feel happier.
My peak working hours are 5-8pm, but convention requires me to have been through the day from when all the “best part of the day” larks are full of beans before I hit my stride.
I’ve been listening to podcasts on productivity and am increasingly considering how I impose my body clock on my working day, and not the other way round.
ETA this worth a read: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.sciencefocus.co.... I can’t find the accompanying programme on iplayer, but remember watching it and having a bit of an “aha” moment as to why getting out of bed early every day made me feel so rubbish all the time.
Edited by OMITN on Friday 22 October 10:11
I tend to wake up early, most days despite usually going to bed at 11.30pm.
I'll be awake anywhere between 5.30am and 6.00am and generally get up and do stuff around the house.
As I work mainly from home I don't need to commute so I get a good couple of hours to deal with whatever projects I have in hand at the time...
It's a good bit of "me" time, sometimes it may just be sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee a couple slices of toast and a crossword. Although I have been known to be outside cutting tiles or log splitting at 7.00am...
I'll be awake anywhere between 5.30am and 6.00am and generally get up and do stuff around the house.
As I work mainly from home I don't need to commute so I get a good couple of hours to deal with whatever projects I have in hand at the time...
It's a good bit of "me" time, sometimes it may just be sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee a couple slices of toast and a crossword. Although I have been known to be outside cutting tiles or log splitting at 7.00am...
One way I can see it'd make sense doing stuff you enjoy first thing in the morning is that other activities, like kids, work etc. have fixed schedules, and will thus put an end to the enjoyable stuff, thus removing the temptation to stay up a bit later to carry on enjoying yourself and thus getting less sleep (which is what I tend to do).
I did the whole 'gym before work' thing for a couple of years, it was certainly nice to be getting to work at half 8 having already exercised for an hour, but at no point did I enjoy getting up at half 6
I did the whole 'gym before work' thing for a couple of years, it was certainly nice to be getting to work at half 8 having already exercised for an hour, but at no point did I enjoy getting up at half 6
I have done it for the last 3 months now to improve my health, my situation is my work hours are broadly fixed, I have to be in the office at 8am most days, I found I was getting up at 6-630, having breakfast and getting to work at 7:30 to sit there till 4 or 5 then go home to the family where I would then sit on the sofa from 730 till 11 or midnight, rinse and repeat.
I now get up at 4:45, and go to the gym before work, I still get up at the same time on weekends as I go every other day and exercise before work then i'm off for the day, I go to bed again at 10pm. I'm far healthier than I was 3 months ago and my mood has improved significantly.
I like being in the gym early because theres very few people there and I can just get on with things, if I went after work it would be rammed.
According to one poster above though I must be self obsessed and miserable
I now get up at 4:45, and go to the gym before work, I still get up at the same time on weekends as I go every other day and exercise before work then i'm off for the day, I go to bed again at 10pm. I'm far healthier than I was 3 months ago and my mood has improved significantly.
I like being in the gym early because theres very few people there and I can just get on with things, if I went after work it would be rammed.
According to one poster above though I must be self obsessed and miserable
Jader1973 said:
Evoluzione said:
I get up when I want.
Except on Wednesdays when I get rudely awakened by the dustmen, I put my trousers on, have a cup of tea and I think about leaving the house.
Do you feed the pigeons, and sometimes the sparrows too?Except on Wednesdays when I get rudely awakened by the dustmen, I put my trousers on, have a cup of tea and I think about leaving the house.
deckster said:
Frimley111R said:
Well in the video he got up and went to the gym/did some exercise, got some work done and then could see his kids before they went to school but for you or me it could be anything really.
Thing is, whenever people say this it's always so damn wholesome.Going to the gym at 5am is held up as some kind of an ideal to aspire to whereas the reality is that regular gym-goers are typically miserable and self-obsessed. Similarly, why the hell would I want to get up early to get a couple of hour's work in?? I do quite enough of the stuff during the day (and yes, the irony of posting this at 9:53 am does not escape me
)Given the choice, I would far rather have a couple of whiskies, play some games, read some books, listen to music, read random crap on the internet. Enjoyable activities. All of which is frowned on at 6am so if it's all the same to you, I'll stay up late to do that stuff and use the early morning for it's proper purpose of sloping in bed until the rest of the family has buggered off.
I also cover four timezones with the bases I'm accountable for - so fitting a couple of hours admin in early means I can be more responsive to them, but also permits a nice long lunch with other half/mates.
The only 'enjoyable' activity out of your list that'd be 'frowned on' early morning would be the whiskey, unless your variant of listening to music involves max volume - which is just as frowned upon late at night.
Responding to the OP - I've tried it, and really enjoyed it. Taking the dog out to see sunrise, hour of HIIT/strength training, nice breakfast and cuppa and kick the day off really well. Improved my productivity no end at work and home.
However, it's bloody difficult to maintain and keep any form of 'non-OAP' (tongue in cheek!) social life...
Yawning your head off at 10pm whilst your friends are just getting going on a night out isn't fun.
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