Sleep, Time Management and iffy assumptions

I have decided to start getting up earlier and get more done before I head to the office or appointments. There are many joys in running a small business and flexibility is important but so is effective time management. So in order to get something done that requires undivided attention, I'm taking one of the long honored time management tips....get it done before work!

Now getting up earlier sounds easy, except. I have to do it without using an alarm clock. You see, my wife is a light sleeper and in general has a difficult time sleeping. The last thing I want to do is startle her awake if she happens to be sleeping when I want to get up. She doesn't need any more sleep deprivation than she already suffers from.

As background, I haven't used an alarm clock in about 15 years. I get up at a predictable time and go to sleep when I'm tired. My guess is it will take a while to train my body to get up earlier, and my body might not like it. My normal time now is about 6:30a. I'm about a week into this new 5:30a project and so far, I think it's going o.k.

My tools? I put a clock on my side of the bed that I can see easily during the night. Much to my surprise I do (and I assume I did before) awaken at some point during the night. I guess I just didn't realize it since there was no mental time stamp (the LCD readout on my clock!).

My strategy? Here goes.....if I awaken any time near my target time to get up, I jump out of bed. My target time is 5:30am. If I see the clock at 4:40a, I get up (4:30 is the earliest, if it's 4:29 I'm back to sleep). When I do get up earlier guess what, I'm ready for bed earlier the next night and so I will be more likely to not sleep past 5:30a. The last 5 mornings have been 4:40a, 6:10, 5:10, 5:40 and 5:50. I think I'm getting it narrowed down.

I figure I've got two more weeks of calibration and I'll be hopping out of bed at 5:30a (give or take 10mins) on a regular basis...and no alarm clock, and the wife gets to sleep. How's that for time management in the workplace?

Uhhh, I'll let you know if it actually works.....