Posted on 11/06/2023 4:41:10 PM PST by chrisser
Have a lot of stuff I need to do around the house and in the garage. I was already struggling with it getting dark early, but the time change has made it worse.
I have to be up around 7:30am for work. It's dark now by 6pm and I seem to be significantly affected by that these days (in my mid-50s). I potentially have six hours every evening after work before I have to hit the sack where I could get a lot done, but as soon as it gets dark, I'm zonked. I end up puttering in front of the computer and bored silly, but I don't feel awake enough to do anything consequential.
Anyone have a similar problem and found a solution? Maybe those working shift work? I hate to waste so much time. I don't want to get jacked up on caffeine and then not be able to sleep at 11 or midnight.
The trick is to just start something. Usually once you start you won’t stop until it’s done.
Pick the tiniest part of the tiniest job you have lined up. Promise yourself you’ll stop when that tiny job is done. Nine times out of ten you’ll keep going.
Depends what you need to do.
When I was doing a lot of painting around the house, I would do edging when possible in the evening. Only required cleaning brushes, not rollers, at the end when tired.
Break big things into small chunks. Mundane, simple, repetitive stuff.
Age 67 here. After dinner cleanup there’s not much I want to do project wise. Colder weather and darkness definitely add as de-motivators. I’ll do my language app and mess with the internet in the evening. I take melatonin for sleep, works great in falling asleep but not the whole night. No caffeine for me after 2PM.
There are ways to combat this:
Brighter lighting in the home is one.
Practicing Second Sleep - which almost every human being used to do in the Western world is another. You use the tie between the two sleep periods to get things done; https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep
You’re a guy? (Garage)
Hubby takes advantage of the dark with astronomy. Astrophotography, actually, and his setup is excessive. But on a smaller scale, it could hold be interesting.
You could turn on all the lights in the house. ;o)
I call that PROJECTS to complete. I just have too many projects, but the numbers get smaller.
Even if we had DST all year long, the fact remains we are on the wrong side of the Vernal Equinox.
We’re just gonna have to endure less daylight for the next 5 months.
Tue, Mar 19, 2024, 10:06 PM can’t come soon enough.
Anybody remember this crazy show late 80's? Gilbert Gottfried and Rhonda Shears hosted this overnight show playing lousy and awful B movies. The funny part was during the breaks when they would tear it apart and poke fun at it. Rhonda was such a babe too.
Gotta get up an hour earlier.
After the fall back time change I find it more productive to get up earlier (as per clock time) to take advantage of daylight hours in the morning when I’m more alert.
You can’t break the PROJECTS into bite-sized pizzas? 🤡
One of the main things we do around here is....sleep.
I’ve always been a Night Owl, probably by nature.
I look forward to this time of year with short, short days and long, long nights. I have learned that if I didn’t get quite enough sleep the night before, and I have to drive somewhere, or talk to different people, I’m better off keeping a somewhat empty stomach until I return home in the evening.
If I’m awake and functioning but still sorta-kinda sleepy, the worst thing to do would be to have a heavy lunch. That would be my doom. My rip-cord will have been pulled out.
And I would be deep in slumber within 20 minutes.
I hear cocaine works well for that...
What a fascinating article. I doubt that biphasic sleep would work for me, but at least it's a new idea.
Thanks.
There are lamps you can buy that are supposed to simulate sunlight, and they’re said to help with the whole “seasonal adjustment” thing.
Every year I think, I should get one of those things, but I haven’t yet. Maybe one of these days.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.