Because my 8 year old is struggling so severely in school, I’ve been doing a lot of research on learning styles. In doing so, I’ve come across some interesting information about biological clocks. Not THAT biological clock. The internal clock we each have that determines at what time during the day we perform at our best.
As usual, when I’m struggling to understand my tweedles, I end up learning just as much about myself as I do about them. Demolition Man is a morning person, just like my Dad. Demolition Man is always the first of the Tweedles to get up in the morning. It’s never a fight. He pops out of bed long before he needs to, gets dressed, and gets himself some breakfast. He’s at his best in the morning. Talker, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. He struggles to fall asleep at night. Even with small doses of Melatonin, he might toss and turn for two hours before falling asleep. And then to wake him up in the morning is like prying meat from the jaws of a hungry wolf. Talker is most definitely a night person. When we were homeschooling, I learned to just let Talker sleep until he was ready to wake up. He would ease into his day, lounging around in the morning while the other two did their school work. That left the afternoons free to do Talker’s school work with him– when he was most awake, and functioning at his best.
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| Sunrise? Or Sunset? Either way, it sets the stage for a glorious run. (Photo by Mike Koopsen.) |
It’s made me realize that I, too, am a night owl. I can accomplish more in the afternoon and evenings than I can in the morning. As I reflected on this yesterday, I remembered back to my days as a TV news reporter and assistant producer. I didn’t have to be to work until 4pm. I had all day to work out if I wanted to. But I would wait until I got home from work after midnight to pull on my walking shoes and do a 2-mile turn around my subdivision. It sounds crazy, but that’s when I was at my best, when I had the most energy. I would finally get to bed around 2 or 3am, waking up around 10. It worked for me.
I’m still that way. My most productive time is in the evenings after the Tweedles are in bed. I regularly stay up until midnight or later, working on projects, writing blogs, designing ads. Granted, I don’t have the luxury of sleeping until 10am, so I’m tired a lot. So, this week, I decided to get to bed early. Every night this week I’ve been in bed before midnight. Last night I was asleep by 10. The reason? I want to be a morning person. I want to be one of those “real” fitness-minded folks who get up early and run before the birds start chirping. Despite my best efforts, I never managed to make it happen. Even with the solid 7 hours of sleep, I could not get my body motivated to get up and go for a run.
As I reflect on my internal clock, I think I’m doing this all wrong. I need to scrap that perfectionist tendency of thinking that there is only one perfect way of doing things. This is an on-going struggle for me as I try to do what’s right, rather than what I think everyone else thinks I should think is right. Frankly, I prefer working out in the evening. If that means going for a run at night after the Tweedles are in bed, so be it. Taking a shower before bed is my favorite thing to do. And everyone says that working out should give you more energy, but it wears me out. When I run in the morning, I’m ready for a nap by lunch time!
Instead of fighting my instincts, I’m going to start listening to what my heart and my body have been trying to tell me all along.
How ’bout you? Do you find that you’re more effective in the mornings or in the evenings?
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