Monday, October 24, 2005

Sleep Solution

Because my sleep problem seems to me to be a problem of laziness more that an actual sleep disorder, I decided to nip it in the butt. I decided to put a bucket of water next to my alarm clock, and instead of hitting the Snooze Button, to dunk my head into the water. Sabastian bet me I wouldn't do it, and I guaranteed him that I definately would, so then I had to. This morning at 5:55 my secondary alarm clock went off (not the head dunker) which goes off five minutes before my primary alarm clock. For the first time ever, ever, I did not go back to sleep for those five minutes: I laid there staring at the Water Bucket, dreading it. By 6:00 I was so awake with fear that I needed neither the Snooze Button nor the Water Bucket. I went directly to breakfast.

9 comments:

mrdarius said...

soon enough, the threat of the bucket won't be enough, and you'll start actually using the bucket. But, the bucket will lose its efficacy, and soon, you'll be putting ice in it, and who knows what other kind of craziness. I hope you can overcome your laziness and form a habit of early waking before you find yourself being late for work.

Liepa said...

man, i can't imagine waking up early anymore. tomorrow is my earliest day, and i have to get up around 8 for a 10 o'clock class. already, i am dreading it!!! but i don't usually require extrinsic motivation...

Aras said...

i'm gonna need some extrinsic motivation before begining the long quest through all dario hyperlinks to fully understand his comment!

mrdarius said...

I'm not even sure that it makes all that much sense. it did to me at the time i posted...

Bonnie Conquest said...

Nip it in the BUTT! Ha ha ha ha....

Aras said...

Here's today's sleep solution: I woke up at 6:20 so I could pack for a seminar and a conference in Vilnius, and the following long weekend (Halloween and the following day are day-off-Holidays here). I go to my primary alarm clock and in groginess attemt to do something rather advanced, actually, it's impossible: to change the settings so that the snooze function activates three times every ten minutes instead of twice every ten minutes. I was staring at my radio alarm clock trying to figure out how to do this, and (I thought) I figured it out: I turned the alarm off and went back to sleep.

The result was that I pressed the snooze button on my secondary alarm clock for forty minutes, always thinking I was still free and clear for five more minutes.

I was only 13 minutes late for work, but I did forget my passports. Maybe I won't need them this weekend.

mrdarius said...

I find that i make the most progressive alarm-clockial innovations when i've woken up unexpectedly. one time i think i figured out the combination, timing, and order in which to press the buttons to reduce the amount of time betwixt snooze button depressions. alas, i could not repeat said adjustment upon regaining full consciousness.

mrdarius said...

this morning, i had a strange alarm clock situation...i started hitting snooze at 10-minute intervals, starting at 6:15. at 6:45am, i woke up 'for good' and changed the time for the alarm to 7am for ellen. but then i went back to snoozing. the part that struck me as odd was that the alarm went off at 6:55 and at 7am. weeeeiiirrrrd.

mrdarius said...

THIS morning was even stranger, because when i got up to hit snooze the first time, i fell out of bed and into my laundry basket. when i lifted myself out, i strained my back, and now i'm in minor pain.

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