Weekly Commitment: In Bed by Ten

One of the problems with getting up early in the morning is that it doesn’t jive with going to bed late.

There are times when I feel compelled to stay up to watch one more episode of some show that I watch but my wife doesn’t. I’ll mute the TV and stay up an additional or so, knowing full well that my alarm is set for 4:45am.

I still get up on time. But there are two consequences:

1. It takes forever to shake off the cobwebs; consequently, I waste about the first 30 minutes of awake time.
2. My afternoons suffer.

Last week’s commitment was about keeping tabs on my family’s spending by checking in and logging spending on a daily basis. I hit most days last week, and it helped tremendously. I was more aware of where money was going and where any leaks have been. The information is vital to improving the coming months.

This week’s commitment is to be in bed by 10:00 with the lights and TV off.

The main reason is that I want to get plenty of rest and still get up early enough for exercise, writing, and prayer time.

Some other ‘duh’ type reasons:

1. Sleep more = more energy.
2. Having a clear, routine helps me stay focused.
3. Most TV is crap, so less time watching it, less crap in the brain.
4. It’s one fewer decision I have to make. Will I stay up to watch another show? Will I stay up to read? Nope. I’ve already made the decision. I don’t have to waste a moment of thought on it.

That last one might seem a stretch, but the more we make small decisions into non-decisions, the more free our brains are to work on more creative and significant problems.

Charle’s Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit talks about how our minds try to burn in certain things we do repeatedly so we don’t have to consciously think through them. Next time you back your car out of your driveway, think about how involuntary the whole process seems to be. Creating positive routines helps make good actions involuntary.

To Sum It Up

This week, in order to shore up my energy and bolster my early morning habits, I’m in bed by 10:00 each night. Lights off. TV off. Eyes closed.

Question (answer in the comments):

What one thing can you do this week that might help you make hay in a particular area?