I’ve been meaning to start a solid morning and bedtime routine.

In the massive amount of self testing I’ve done on my sleep, a few things really surprised me

1. Light has a massive effect on me. With respect to a morning routine, getting natural sunlight in the beginning of the day seems to get me to sleep faster. I also think that getting enough light could possibly be an issue in several areas, including physical recovery, weight loss, quality of sleep, and energy. I recently tested my vitamin D levels and found that I’m very deficient.

2. How early I get up is highly dependent on when I get to bed. I spent a lot of time with “revenge bedtime procrastination” - I go down internet rabbit holes and watch Netflix and generally waste time before bed. As a result, I usually get to bed quite late without even realizing it. That, in turn, makes me get up later.

Starting even a small habit of getting outside in the morning and getting to bed earlier can help me get more vitamin D, get quality rest, and help me get more stuff done. It could also ideally make me a morning person, something this night owl never thought possible.

I’m going measure myself with a scale and tape measure just to see if there are any physiological changes connected with better sleep and greater light exposure. I’ve taken a sleep scale measure, which I’ll take again in a month. I’d also like to take another vitamin D test in 3 months to see if levels have improved.

So let’s get into it…

IMPLEMENTATION INTENTION (MORNING)

As soon as I wake up I’ll get out of bed, grab a cup of coffee, and go up to my building’s balcony to greet the sun for a few minutes.

MENTAL CONTRASTING (MORNING)

A) Positives
I hope to get better sleep and a better way to start the day and fit in more. I feel I’m somehow physiologically blocked from losing weight, so maybe this is a solution. I think vitamin D deficiency is causing many system wide issues. I also think it’s also a potential start to a gratitude practice or a walking/running routine because it’ll be a time of day that’s not horribly hot.

B) Obstacles
Rain.

B-1) Workarounds
Either an umbrella or a raincoat, both of which I have, or if it’s really bad, popping a quality Vitamin D pill, which I’ve also already bought.

GROWTH (MORNING)

I’d like to extend it into a full 30 minutes, as one study tested that length of time. I’d like to also do a gratitude practice or even just record one so I can listen to it. I’d like to transform this into a walking/running habit like Lydia does. Maybe even something like swimming or yoga.

IMPLEMENTATION INTENTION (NIGHT)

After Lydia goes to bed, I’ll set a 20 minute alarm and record my habits, after which I’ll head to bed as well.

MENTAL CONTRASTING (NIGHT)

A) Positives
I want the potential for an entire calming ritual, and an opportunity to learn whole host of skills, like pranayama, or experimenting with diffused state learning, or just dabbling in general. Imagine writing a rough draft of a book or developing other forms of low stakes mastery? This could potentially double output while making me a better sleeper and a morning person.

B) Obstacles
Lydia could not go to bed early. She could be away. Or we could have a late night out.

B-1) Workarounds
This rarely happens these days. I’m usually hesitant to pin a habit cue on another person, even a significant other, but she’s got her own schedule she has to go with that’s rock solid.

GROWTH (NIGHT)

I’d like to add more behaviors, like a pranayama practice or using lavender essential oils, both of which I sometimes do now. These both have been linked with better sleep, but I’m inconsistent. I’d love to expand this to creative nights - either with art nights, writing, recording a podcast, a low stakes learning time, or perhaps a yoga practice.And I’d love to be able to live cast this.