hitting snooze vs. setting a timer

This morning I did something I don’t often do—go back to sleep after my alarm goes off. When my original alarm went off, I still felt tired, as if I had not fully recovered from the busy weekend and, more likely, the main culprit, a crummy night of sleep in the hotel. Sharing a queen-sized bed with Roman while Silas had coughing spells throughout the night led to short spurts of uninterrupted sleep.

So, I made the executive decision to sleep a little longer and adjust my morning routine when I finally got up.

Instead of hitting snooze, I set a timer for the additional amount of sleep I wanted to get. I discovered this some time ago–when I hit the snooze button, it seems like time flies, and I don’t feel as if I get the additional rest I was seeking. But, if I set a timer on my phone for the exact same amount of time, it seems like time slows down, and I wake up feeling rested.

The same amount of time, only counted differently, is the difference between waking up still tired and feeling rested. Well, maybe there is some quantum physics that time counted down by a timer is actually slower than time set on an alarm, but I doubt it.

I learned the timer trick through my power naps–I set my timer for 12, 15, or 17 minutes, depending on how much of a recharge I need, and then I close my eyes, usually sitting up with my feet kicked up on our coffee table and the time spent in that power nap feels as if it is hours. I’m not sure what it is, but subconsciously, my body goes into a deeper rest cycle when the time is set, and I wake up feeling the benefits of this mental trick.

You may not need extra sleep in the morning (if you do, try the timer trick), but there may be something else in your life that a slight shift in perspective and maybe even execution (i.e., switching from snooze to timer) will drastically change how you feel and your results.

Get creative and see if you find any mental tricks that give you an advantage—and then share them with me, so I can try them too.

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC