Howdy do Axelerant,
While I’m feeling better overall, I’m still struggling with getting a decent night’s sleep. And, that bothers me more than eating a box of chocolate ice-cream bars in a single sitting.
Amongst my Harvard Business Review reading this week, I feel my that situation comes out of the willpower scenario reflected upon in hbr.org/2020/05/how-to-cope-with-that-always-on-feeling.
And I’m tired of hearing about having more willpower because I’m mentally aware of it helping us accomplish whatever we want. However, there’s only so much energy that we can put into our discipline.
So what happens when we’re out of energy? We might feel to sink lower and lower.
I don’t believe it has to be that way. Through Atomic Habits, I’ve learned to think about creating environments that affect our behaviors. And behaviors are outcome aspects of willpower and discipline.
So, while changing my `/etc/hosts` entry for `netflix.com` to `127.0.0.1` was an easy fix to cut binge-watching, getting myself a good night’s rest is where I’m stuck.
Things I’ve done to sleep better
* I’ve got an 11 PM bedtime reminder, 8 AM wake-up
* Generally not watching TV, though it’s happening more often
* I’ve automatic blue-light shift on my devices except for TV
* I’ve covered up the brightest of the LED-type lights in my room
* I’ve closed the windows to keep external noises reduced
* I turn off the bathroom fan to reduce noise too
* Turned the bed mattress around because of a sore back
Further ideas to sleep better
* Turning off the AC
* Auto-lock my phone
* Remove fun books from Kindle
* Unplug the TV (done)
* Blue-light shift the TV
* Drink alcohol
* Have sex
By writing those ideas down, I don’t feel as bad anymore about low-feeling willpower. More importantly, I’ve got options for sleeping better. I’m not sure how they’ll work. Yet, any of them seem better than wishing.
Today’s point is this; it’s okay to recognize that our discipline might not be what we want at times. As a way forward, think about changing our environment to make it easier to fall into decisions we’d like to have.
Like, my preparing meals and packing the backpack the night before a morning hike so that I’m not procrastinating to get out the door.
I’m pokey enough no matter what I do. So I’ve learned to remove potential delays.
Feel free to talk with me about your getting stuck, by scheduling a time to speak via axelerant.com/mc.
Good luck,
Michael
Peimic 