is one of the keys to a long and healthy life.
The 4:15 Experiment was about more than just waking up super early. It was about discovering my body’s natural rhythm and creating an optimal schedule as a foundation on which to build more enlightened habits.
Schedule Adjustment: Setting Boundaries Helps
During the experiment, I woke 30 days in a row at 4:15am and I soon discovered that, in order to complete the experiment successfully, I had to say “no” more often:
“No” to working late at the office.
“No” to restaurant dinner engagements.
Toward the end, I was becoming an expert at setting healthy boundaries!
Schedule Adjustment: Clarity
Though the initial adjustment to my new schedule did cause a few moments of strain, once the initial shock was gone, I began to develop a heightened sense of self-awareness and clarity.
Schedule Your Sleep ~ Avoid Late Night Eating
Rising each morning at 4:15 a.m. provided me with more calm moments of reflection — moments that had been less possible back when I rushed to get ready for work from the moment I set foot out of bed.
Now, by rising early, I had time to enjoy the morning calmly and set my intentions for the day ahead. I could arrive at my desk earlier and get some outrageously effective work done before the rest of the world got hectic and the emails and calls started flooding in!
Schedule Adjustment: Late Night Eating
Later that day, when I arrived home after work around 5:30 p.m. I was forced to begin my evening wind-down rather than continuing to pursue this project or that, as I was previously accustomed.
“by rising early, I had time
to enjoy the morning calmly and
set my intentions for the day ahead.”
As the experiment progressed I perceived the need to shift my evening meal relative to my new schedule. Ceasing to eat at least two hours before you go to sleep is an important step to aid your body’s natural metabolic cycle, and ensure a restful night’s sleep. It also helps you maximize your exercise and dietary regimen.
I encourage you to experiment with your own schedule and see where it leads you. If you’d like to do some further reading on this subject here’s a link with some more great tips on making the most of your resting hours.
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I got up at 4:15 for six months. My body did adjust (I’m a night person, so I didn’t expect it to), and I got so much accomplished before most people were even awake. Nevertheless, I missed my evenings.
For me, I find that I need to eat a light snack before bed or I will wake up hungry in the middle of the night, but it is important that it be a pretty light snack!
Joel, I am exactly the same –
Too Little: don’t sleep well.
Too Much: food hangover in the morning.
Now I am replying to the original post, as Jay.
the fact that you commented with a photo (i.e., a gravatar-activated email address) means that you are my new best friend!
#iheartgravatar
I find that if I sway away from my sleep and eating schedule, I’m a very unhappy individual. My blood sugar crashes and I become quite the irritable chap. I’ve noticed that my own personal sleeping schedule has been shifting more toward the morning. I guess the lingering college schedule is on its way out.
Hey Ryan and Dane – I am testing replying to Ryan’s comment.
Dang – I was logged in as admin. Now I am replying as me. But replying to my admin comment.