Big Night Tonight

It’s quite interesting how a so-called secondary goal has become THE main focus, and that’s exactly what has happened with the efforts to switch from being a night-owl to an “early bird”. It is widely accepted that to evaluate and/or establish any new habit, a period of 30 days should be allowed, even so I can already see some significant changes including being able to attend an interesting “networking brekkie” that started at 7:15am, and typically waking between 5am and 6am without the use of an alarm clock. This in turn has translated to being more productive (in some ways), and generally the “feelgood factor” that comes with achieving something.

There have been negatives, and perhaps the biggest one is the jetlag-like feeling that seems to be permanently in the background, and also a sense of not really knowing what I am supposed to be doing at a particular time (especially at times when I would previously have still been in bed!) That’s probably where the real value lies in this change; I am forced to think about what I am going to do with my time, which ought to translate to a more well-defined and effective use of the time.

However, the first really big challenge occurs tonight. I’ve been up since 6 this morning, and really want to continue with the same pattern tomorrow. The fly in the ointment is the fact that it is FA Cup quarter finals weekend, Manchester United are playing Arsenal and it’s an evening kick-off (1:15am Perth time). So my strategy is to unwind/nap for the next few hours, watch the game and then hope that the habit has already established enough that I might stir between 6am and 7am. I think the body and mind can cope with a one-off variation to the new norm – we shall see.

If THIS goes well, then it will bode well for next Saturday when we hit Perth for a night of making merry in Northbridge…