Sleep

I tried to have it all. To go to my classes, to do my homework and research, to be president, to socialize for long hours, and to have plenty of time to myself.

Then something broke. I overslept and missed the first half-hour of the first class. Bad, but not that bad in an absolute sense. The much, much bigger problem is that I've been feeling tired for many, many days. It's been degrading my experiences to be less enjoyable than they would have been otherwise. My behavior is massively sub-optimal. By refusing to make the choice to sacrifice any of my activities, I made them all worse and myself unhappier in the process.

So I must now choose. I choose the following prioritization:

0. Sleep (necessary for the rest)
1. Classes
2. Homework and research and president
3. Socialization
4. Time to myself

However, it is reasonable, depending on the day, to switch Socialization out for Time to myself, depending on my desires that day. What is not allowed is to budge is classes and work, or sleep, since losing sleep makes everything worse.

To ensure that I do not lose sleep, I will set a target, with a list of surrounding behaviors. My target is to go to bed 8.5 hours before my first event of the next day, and to go to sleep at the same time each day. The only exception allowed to this system is if I have an event, involving other people, that stretches past the above mentioned time. If so, I will go to sleep as soon as possible after getting back. Thus:

My goal:

Sleep by 1:00 am, or just after getting back.

Surrounding behaviors:

2 hours before sleep time:

• No food

At sleep time:

• In bed
• Lights out
• Clothes off
• No books
• No electronics
• No music

It doesn't matter if you're tired or not. Just close your eyes and lie in bed for as long as you have to.

This will be recorded on zscore. Let's see how I do.

Sometimes wishes do come true

There was something I wanted. So I asked for it. I knew someone who could give it to me, it wouldn't cost them much at all.

In May I asked in person. Yes, they said, yes I could have it.

Nothing.

Six days later, I asked again. Nothing.

Well, I didn't need it until September, so that's OK.

In July, I asked again. Politely, but firmly. Nothing.

In August, I talked to them about something else, so I knew they were in touch.

So I asked again. Politely. Firmly.

Nothing.

Time was running out. If I didn't get it from them, I didn't know what I was going to do.

So I asked again. Urgently. Just a little desperately.



Yes. Yes, I'd be happy to help you. Here's the thing you need.