• Who am I?

    I am Qrystal; or at least, that's my dot-name! Har har. (My name is really Crystal, but that's not as internet-searchable; hence, switching the C for the little-used letter Q.)

    I am here because I enjoy writing. I do this mostly for myself, but I also have a passion for helping others learn things from the things I write. Now that I am done my Ph.D. in Physics, I am stepping away from academic research so that I can indulge in some creative ways to share my knowledge and inspire the appreciation of scientific thinking in others. I am also working as a tutor, which is one of the jobs I've most enjoyed doing in my life so far.


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    • Trying to Become an Early Riser

    Posted by Qrystal on July 23, 2008 at 21:54.
    Category: Advice. Tags: sleep.

    23. Avoid Naps. It’s a proven fact that nappers sleep worse at night. Naps break critical sleep cycles that keep us from getting the proper types of sleep we need.

    24. Track your progress. Use a goal tracker like Joe’s Goals to simply track how you’re doing. Visually seeing your progress is a great way to stay motivated and focused on the goal. These are just a few ways that you can improve your ability to wake up earlier. Finding the best routine for you is the most critical, and requires some experimentation.

    Maybe there IS an easy answer to my productivity dilemma:  I just have to become an early riser.

    I actually have an advantage: I already get up early (6am) every weekday with my husband.  I just haven’t embraced the early-riser lifestyle, and it takes me hours (like, 10) to feel ready to tackle my day.

    I also have trouble falling asleep at night, because I feel a surge of energy around bedtime.  Thus my night’s sleep is shortened, often to little more than six hours, and I get groggy partway through the next day.  So I nap… and get a surge of energy near bedtime…

    Deadly cycle, indeed.  I’ve tried to convince myself that the naps are a result of me being attentive to my body’s needs, but the truth is, if I want to be able to be up at six in the morning, I have to get enough sleep.  I’m just hurting myself and my productivity, not to mention ignoring my body’s needs.

    I must become an early riser.  This article has some great advice:

    24 Tips To Becoming An Early Riser | LifeRemix Blog

    In particular, the above two quoted tips really rang true with me.  Becoming an early riser is, like, The Answer, with a capital ‘A’.

    I’ve actually used Joe’s Goals, but I think I overdid it and then had too many goals slacking all at once, which made me feel miserable.  Maybe if I keep it simple, like tracking just three things:

    This could even be … *gasp!* fun!

    UPDATE:  August 30, 2010

    I still struggle with energy in the early hours of the day, but I’m accepting it as a part of how I work.  I try and avoid naps still, and try to listen to my body when it says I should go to sleep for the night, but I still have energy boosts in the evenings and get most of my best work done then.  I intend to write more about this soon, but still need to focus on the thesis work first…!

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