I like to wake up about 6 AM and go to bed about 10PM. Sometimes, I don't wake up until 6:30 but we are pretty regular about getting ready for bed at 10. I like to have a 2nd cup of coffee at noon but I am often anticipating it from 11:30 on. It is as much the suspense of whether it is actually noon yet as it is enjoying coffee or wanting caffeine.
With getting up, going to bed, coffee and alcoholic drinks at 4, I want to resist drift in time. I feel organized and in control when I have a schedule and stick to it.
I was surprised to find that several books and articles on sleep mentioned going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time were valuable habits for a good sleep. I guess that the body has a sense of what time it is and when it is time to go into sleep mode.
Because I am a clock-watcher, there are plenty of times during the day when I have x number of minutes before I should do something. If the number is 15 or more, I might grab my Kindle and get a page or two read. If I make the effort to set a timer, I put my mind on reading or doing a Sudoku or bringing in the mail and the bit of time zooms by. If I try to merely stay conscious of the time slipping away, the minutes drag. I look at the clock and I still have 6 minutes before it is sensible to leave. I look later and I still have 4 minutes.
As I read this, it seems neurotic. Why not just do the next thing on the calendar and not worry about what time it is? The basic answer is that people I am working with don't want me to do that, won't be available, are busy until the designated time.
