For most of my life, I’ve been a morning person. When that alarm went off in the morning, I sprung out of bed like the teacher’s pet I was, eager to tackle a new day of school.
In college my pattern shifted somewhat. I didn’t get up at 5:30 like I did in high school. But I didn’t go to bed at 9PM either. I got a good midnight to 7:30 AM schedule going. My commute in college consisted of a 15 minute walk though. No motorized vehicles involved whatsoever.
These days I trend towards being a night owl, without the amount of sleep time I had in college. You see, in college I didn’t have to make my own breakfast. I could also roll out of bed and throw on some jeans with a t-shirt. I didn’t have to think about picking out clothes very much.
I want to be a morning person again. I never used to struggle with getting out of bed. I never used to hit the snooze button five times. I never left the house without crossing something off my to-do list.
All I crossed off my to-do list this morning was flossing. Yes, I have that on a list. Somewhere my childhood dentist is smiling.
I always feel more productive and better about myself when I get a few things done in the morning, especially if they are things I might not have the energy to do after work. Like exercise. At the same time, my foray into standup comedy means that going to bed at nine is a pipe dream.
Whether I succeed at being a morning person again I think largely depends on whether I’m able to get enough sleep. Over the years, I’ve discovered that seven hours is a good amount for me. These days I average about six and a half with more on weekends. Close, but not close enough for my body to be happy.
Hopefully I will find a balance between the late-night lifestyle of comedy and my desire to feel accomplished in the mornings. Perhaps I’ll start by taking a nap.
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