You Love Your Bed…
But is it an appropriate relationship?
Being nocturnal has always been a struggle for me.
Unless I must wake up for something, I have stayed until I’m hungry or bored.
At night, I have been known to stay up all night and then sleep through most of the day.
It’s not healthy, and it’s not productive.
Room for waking up in good shape and being productive was a swan song.
I found a way out of it though.
By setting boundaries.
How to approach your bed
Let’s get this straight…
Your bed is for two things:
. Sleeping.
. Sex.
It isn’t somewhere you should:
. Bathe (lie down for hours doing nothing).
. Pretend to be productive.
. Eat.
Are you in ‘deep work’ when you lay on your bed balancing a laptop on your crotch?
Is this a more productive position than sitting up at a desk?
Is this the best practice?
No.
Here’s what to do…
Set a sleep period
Choose a set time that you will sleep.
For example, 10 p.m.–6 a.m.
You get in bed at 10 p.m., and you get out of bed at 6 a.m.
You can relax in bed for an hour before sleeping.
You can wake up at 5 a.m. and have a lie in.
However you slice it, the time you set is the time you are in bed, under the covers.
If you’re nocturnal, you likely won’t be tired at 10 p.m., but this is how we restart your body clock.
Set a ‘no bedtime’ period
The rest of the time in the example above would be 6 a.m.–10 p.m.
This time you spend doing things:
. Working.
. Exercising.
. Being social.
. Working on goals.
. Building for the future.
If you get lucky, sure, use the bed.
If you are sick or injured, sure, use the bed.
If a long-haul flight has messed with your body, sure, use the bed.
Now that you have your day broken up, you fill the time with whatever you want!
Right time, right action
Splitting your time this way will train your body to understand that…
Bed = Sleep
Daytime = progress and enjoyment
It works for me.
It will work for you.
