A friend recently asked me why I set my alarm on days when I don't have to be anywhere at a specific time. She works 5 days a week, so on weekends she allows herself to sleep in, i.e., no setting of alarm clocks. I don't have a job outside the home, so she was curious about why I'd bother.
I bother, I told her, because if I didn't, I'd end up sleeping my life away. As it is, I frustrate myself on days when I hit the snooze alarm too many times which means the day gets away from me before I get a chance to do all I want. I've always had this problem of prying myself out of a warm bed, especially if I'm cuddled up to a dog or another person. I can happily doze for hours, well beyond the number needed to function each day. In fact, some days I sleep and doze so long I actually feel worse when I arise than if I'd gotten up when that alarm first went off. I definitely need something to rouse me out of extended slumber.
Honestly, this problem with dragging myself out of bed borders on laziness. True, I stay up later than most early risers, but when I HAVE to be some place early in the day, I CAN do it. It's just that I'd rather not HAVE to. It's a luxury to be able to set my own time table after years of adhering to someone else's, and sometimes I take it to extremes. You'd think I had no other way to fill my time but to sleep. On the contrary, I complain with the best of them about not having enough time to do everything I want to.
And so it occurred to me that a respectable goal for the New Year would be to get up on time every day. How else am I to find the hours to work through several series and that long list of projects in addition to the every day tasks? Wouldn't it be nicer to get up and get going and feel good about all I accomplish than sleep in and spend the rest of the day berating myself for not getting more done?
Today was day one of this trial and I only hit the snooze alarm once. My ambitious list of things to do (probably more than I could possibly complete) was half finished by eleven. I ran out to take care of a little shopping and polished off the rest of the list by four. Yes, this getting up on time feels good & shouldn't be such a big deal. So what if I don't have any place to be by a specific time?
Uh, wait a minute. Actually, I DO have someplace to be - and that's in the studio. Just because I don't have a boss demanding I show up at a specific time doesn't mean I don't have a job to do. And treating my art like a job is exactly what I need to do. I can still be flexible, set my own hours, choose what I work on, give myself a day off, but show up on a regular basis I must. So here's to getting up and arriving in the studio on time! It heads my list of goals for this week:
I bother, I told her, because if I didn't, I'd end up sleeping my life away. As it is, I frustrate myself on days when I hit the snooze alarm too many times which means the day gets away from me before I get a chance to do all I want. I've always had this problem of prying myself out of a warm bed, especially if I'm cuddled up to a dog or another person. I can happily doze for hours, well beyond the number needed to function each day. In fact, some days I sleep and doze so long I actually feel worse when I arise than if I'd gotten up when that alarm first went off. I definitely need something to rouse me out of extended slumber.
Honestly, this problem with dragging myself out of bed borders on laziness. True, I stay up later than most early risers, but when I HAVE to be some place early in the day, I CAN do it. It's just that I'd rather not HAVE to. It's a luxury to be able to set my own time table after years of adhering to someone else's, and sometimes I take it to extremes. You'd think I had no other way to fill my time but to sleep. On the contrary, I complain with the best of them about not having enough time to do everything I want to.
And so it occurred to me that a respectable goal for the New Year would be to get up on time every day. How else am I to find the hours to work through several series and that long list of projects in addition to the every day tasks? Wouldn't it be nicer to get up and get going and feel good about all I accomplish than sleep in and spend the rest of the day berating myself for not getting more done?
Today was day one of this trial and I only hit the snooze alarm once. My ambitious list of things to do (probably more than I could possibly complete) was half finished by eleven. I ran out to take care of a little shopping and polished off the rest of the list by four. Yes, this getting up on time feels good & shouldn't be such a big deal. So what if I don't have any place to be by a specific time?
Uh, wait a minute. Actually, I DO have someplace to be - and that's in the studio. Just because I don't have a boss demanding I show up at a specific time doesn't mean I don't have a job to do. And treating my art like a job is exactly what I need to do. I can still be flexible, set my own hours, choose what I work on, give myself a day off, but show up on a regular basis I must. So here's to getting up and arriving in the studio on time! It heads my list of goals for this week:
- Get up on time every day
- Minimum 4 days/15 hours in studio (can include nonsewing activities)
- Cut & sew sleeves onto Willow Leaves & Home Again
- Quilt Grid 2
- Quilt most, if not all, of the pinwheel quilt
- Flesh out some long term goals
1 comment:
I think you and I must be very alike Sheila! Now that my two boys no longer need me to take them to school I could just laze around or even not bother getting out of bed and they often ask me why I complain about not being 'ready in time'. Once they have gone the overwhelming urge is to switch the pc on and 'just check' the email and I know I can waste the mornings and that in turn means the day so I have to use superhuman willpower to use my time wisely. I think going out to work (at a regular time, and having a boss to answer to) helps you use your time better ironically. It takes much more discipline when there is no-one to answer to. My DH often wonders where his weekend went to - and he is normally super-efficient so it happens to the best! Sorry for the long reply this topic is a constant struggle I'm still wrestling with - some of us just can't get out of bed at 5am! If you find an easy solution, let me know!!
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