4 Days Left
Blake
I don't know if this entry will be much different from my cohort's. Here's how it breaks down:
1) I really, really like sleep.
2) I can barely make it through most movies without a nap.
3) I'm trying to cut my sleep down to two hours a day.
Sounds like a disaster, right? When I tell my friends about it, the most common reaction is something to the effect of, "Wow. Good luck, and let me know how that goes." Usually, the implication is that this whole experiment will end in a fiery train wreck of tears and consolation naps. It's possible they're right.
To be honest, I'm nervous. I really want this to work. We'll just have to see if my eyelids are on board with the experiment. There will be nights when sleep seems way more interesting than an extra 6 hours of productive time. I have to go in with a plan.
I'm doing everything I can to give myself the best possible chance. I've been cutting down on my caffeine so I won't have to worry about energy crashes. I've also been brainstorming ways to make the best use of my extra time. I figure if I'm doing something I really want to do, I'll have a much better chance of pushing through when it gets rough. Also, a friend just loaned me his copy of Fallout 3. =)
I'm going to try to set specific, short-term goals and hyperschedule myself for the first week, which is supposed to be the hardest. If I can push through that initial wall, I'll have a chance to actually pull this off.
I guess we'll see...
Caitlin
I'm actually not really sure that I am ready for this. When we decided to this about a month ago, I was reading anything I could find on the subject, and was super stoked to try this out. I got quite ambitious; I was ready to start right away. But, Blake and I decided to wait on it. We wanted to wait for my move to the new apartment, 48 Hour Launch, and Crapulous Eve to happen before we committed ourselves to little sleep, no caffeine, no alcohol.
There is actually a bit of preparation to go through before we start this. Both of us have started to ween ourselves off of caffeine. We got a good dose of alcohol this weekend during Crapulous Eve, enough to hold us off for a month or so, I would think. Aside from getting rid of those types of things, there's also a bit of mental preparation. I'm finding myself savoring the sleep that I am getting now, because I know I won't get what I want during the first couple weeks. I'm finding myself being really tired at times, and thinking, "Wow. This is going to be terrible once I can't take unscheduled naps."
I think the excitement of it that I had a month ago is starting to come back. Now that we've got the website up and running. Now that we are going to start sharing our blog around. Now that we've got people actively interested and watching us in this crazy experiment. Also, the thought that, while the desire for sleep will be incredibly strong in the beginning, it will (should) go away after the transition phase is complete, and sleep will no longer be a bodily desire. Sleep will just be something that I do a few times a day. No more sleepiness at night. No more waking up groggy in the morning.
We are doing a little bit of pre-transition blogging, just do share our thoughts on what's coming up for us!
Practice your guitar would be great.
I don't understand giving up coffee that seems counter productive to the goal of staying awake.
It IS very interesting though - I'll be following along. If it works, I might try it ...
(of all the things I've lost, I miss my sanity the most)
Beth, I'm guessing we're more the latter than the former. I suppose we'll see...