Most people don’t know what I am about to share with you. I don’t like to share it with people because I usually get terrible looks and ghastly sighs. Okay, maybe not ghastly, but a certain amount of ridicule is always detected. Are you ready? I sleep past noon almost every day. Okay, I said it. Now you know, please don’t judge me.
In my own defense, I stay up rather late. I am not usually sleep before 3 or 4 in the morning on an average night. For the past month or so, I have seen 6 and 7 o’clock on a regular basis. This schedule has been working out okay. My productivity is not as low as one would imagine. However, I deviated from this schedule today and found what may be the hidden key to my success.
I have two small children and I like to spend as much time as possible with them during the day. So I would actually complete a lot of my work in the wee hours of the morning. My kids would sleep until 11 or 12 noon, so I would too. But today, urged by my husband, I got up at 9 o’clock. Well, I really didn’t get up until about 9:10 but the alarm was set for 9. By 9:20 or so I was on the treadmill actually working out. I was almost in disbelief.
While I am able to complete much of my writing and client work late at night, I can’t as easily go to the gym, make phone calls, or interact with my family. When I finished my workout, I started on a web design project I had been working on, posted my first blog post of the day, and called a few businesses. I completed a big chunk of work while my kids were still sleep. Not to mention the fact that I was much more alert and focused on the task at hand instead of wondering what Law and Order rerun was going to come on at 4 am.
So now I have to consider these new findings. Will I continue to sleep the day away or will I get up and get moving. I can still burn the midnight oil, well at least until 1 or 2 am, and take advantage of this new found productivity; as long as I get at least 7 hours of sleep. We will see how this works out. Tomorrow will be day two of Operation Early Riser.
Since I am in a commit-to-my-goals kind of mood, I am going to declare that I will be up and working on something important by 9 am. Now, I might have to re-affirm my commitment everyday for a while; just until this new schedule becomes a habit. But I am sure it will be worth it.
Do you have an unconventional schedule? How do you fit work around your children? What are your dirty little business secrets?
Sleep past noon?
Good for you, especially because your schedule demands it and your work ethic powers you through the day doing the very best work possible.
I applaud anyone who realizes the right schedule for their body clock and works within that framework to create a successful business.
Shirley George Frazier´s last blog ..Five Things You Can Do When Sick and Working Alone