Submit to sleeping

Benjamin Franklin has been quoted as saying, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” For women, this tip, like other sleeping tips, seems to be difficult in which to adhere because of the demands placed on us, by us and by others. However, there is value in this enduring nugget of wisdom from Mr. Franklin.  What if “early to bed” is getting our tasks done earlier in the evening, rather than right before bed?

Working Backwards

I am sure the concept is not foreign to you, but the process of working backwards, may help you get the sleep you require. Determine the time you need to be sitting in your car to leave for work or getting your children off to school. Then, decide what tasks need to be done before you leave and how long each of those tasks realistically take to complete. Remember, children will slow you up, so take that into account.

In going through this exercise, you should be able to ascertain what time you need to get up each day. Now, if you have discovered that your morning routine is actually going to take you two-hours, but you’ve been shoving everything in an hour’s time, stressing you and your family, then you need to re-evaluate what needs to be done in the morning and what should be shifted to the evening.

Morning Routine

In the above exercise, you’ve already outlined what needs to happen before you walk out the door. Pick the three most important items that you have to do in the morning and shift everything else to the evening before. Seems impossible, but it’s not, especially with planning.

For example, the three most important tasks I need to accomplish before leaving for work are getting dressed, putting in my contacts, and putting the ice pack in my lunch bag. The rest of my getting ready routine is done at work AFTER I have gotten through traffic. See my goal was to leave for work early enough, to miss the bulk of rush hour traffic, shifting my time spent primping at work instead of at home.

Since middle school and especially high school days, we have grown up putting on making or fixing our hair in a public facility. As a working adult, this mindset has somehow shifted that you can only get ready for work at home.

Shift Your Morning Routine Focus

There may be a number of reasons why you do not want to finish your morning routine at work. Maybe you feel the restroom facilities are not up to your standards of cleanliness. Maybe you are already getting your children to the day care when it opens that you don’t have that extra time before your shift starts to finish getting ready. Don’t let that stop you. Think outside the box and consider the possibilities in making your mornings go more smoothly.

Where do you start?

Take out paper and pen and sketch out what your ideal morning should like. Can you build a house without a blueprint? Then why would you start the foundation of your day by just winging it?

After you’ve sketched out your morning plan, you are ready for Submit to Sleeping: The Quality.

In Admiral William H. McRaven’s graduation speech to the students at University of Texas in 2014, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” I can almost hear you groan but before you leave this page, hear me out.

Growing up, I was never required to make my bed and I have to admit as a parent, I do not ask my children to make theirs either. As I’ve matured, I came to realize that making my bed, of my own volition, can only be appreciated by me.

If I was asked to make my bed as a child, it would be viewed as chore. Forget asking me to do it as a teenager, as I would have rebelled and likely slept with as little as possible to avoid a task I viewed as stupid.

As kids, we did so many things at home because our parents outlined their expectations to do so. When you’re an adult, you have more freedom at home in what you will do and what you won’t do. However, many of us lack self-discipline to actually getting stuff done that really needs to get done.

Enter establishing routines, not because our parents tell us, but because we want them.

Making your bed is one such routine and should be done each day. Whether you are at home, on vacation, or even camping, making your bed is the one thing that must be completed to promote better sleep later that night.

No matter what kind of day you’ve had, when you enter your bedroom and see your neatly made bed, the troubles of the day start to melt away. Now, you may not be ready to go to sleep right when you get home and see your bed, but it does send a signal to your brain.

A made bed unwinds the chaos of your day, displaying the order your mind craves. Having untidy covers bunched here and there, further drives home the point that chaos is out in the world and inside your sanctuary.

Don’t do this to yourself. Make your bed, each day, right when you get up (or after you go potty).