I hate the alarm clock. It feels unnatural. Like I’ve lost my connection to the natural order of things—waking up with the sun and when my body is ready to engage the day.
However, there are days, and there are seasons, when the alarm is necessary.
But most people make a common mistake when it comes to setting their alarm. Not technically. Not because they can’t tell time. The mistake is this…
They only set an alarm for the morning wake up.
That’s dumb.
If you’re going to set an alarm, set two. Set your morning alarm. Then set an evening alarm for when you need to go to bed.
What good does it do to set a morning alarm just to hit snooze, or wake up miserable, or blow it off altogether? The morning alarm is dreaded because we tend to stay up too late at night.
The evening alarm is actually more important.
In the morning, we’re afraid of the consequences of…
- Missing the meeting
- Missing the flight
- Being late for the event
The consequences relate to others—letting others down, social pressure, etc—So we set the alarm.
But in the evening, if we stay up late, binge the show, have the extra drink…we think the consequences are ours alone. Solo suffering. Feeling tired or terrible the next day.
But the consequences go further.
- We are not our best
- Our brains are slower
- Our patience is less
- Creativity is diminished
Others feel the pain, too. We’re not able to bring our best contribution to the day—in terms of work and attitude. They feel it.
And, of course, we really feel it. It sucks to live tired. (And some of us have forgotten any other way of being.)
Let’s prioritize our own self, first. Let’s commit to feeling better, having more energy, keeping our minds sharp, refreshing our bodies…
Let’s commit to getting the sleep we need by setting 2 alarms. One in the morning, and one in the evening—reminding us to wind down and go to bed to get the rest we need to be our best.
Your body, your brain, and your relationships will thank you.
