Keeping up with a planned schedule in our day and age of distraction is hard.
Modern-day life is steeped with so many responsibilities that it is no less than a superhuman task to be disciplined with our schedules.

Moreover, we find that once the work day is over, we drift towards our screens to either scroll through our social media apps or catch up on some television show or movie.
Perhaps some blessed beings even choose to delve into a book or schedule time just to be present with family.

Whether we indulge in an activity perceived to be healthy or not, inevitably, we find ourselves dithering on sleep, and when we do so, we set ourselves up to wake up late the next day.
Or wake up cranky due to inadequate sleep.

PM PLANNING

I read something fascinating and compelling that an effective morning routine begins the evening before.
In simpler words, to even imagine waking up to harmony and ease at our desired time in the morning, we need to sort out our evening schedules.

I have realized no one really is a morning person inherently. Each one of us, if given a chance, would love to sleep as much as the body demands (we will discuss this later on in the post).
Though, as I state the above, my mind immediately quotes many examples of people I know who consistently wake up early and have been doing so for years and, most importantly, do it happily! (Thank God for inspiring people around)
Even yours truly has been on the early morning wakers (not wankers, fortunately!) group for a long time and derived immense joy.

EXPERIENTIAL REALIZATIONS

What sparked this idea to write this piece has been my own erratic schedule off late.
Partly due to work and family situation, partly due to the lure of social media and its powerful distraction, and partly due to my own inability to prioritize my routine, I found myself sleeping late and hence, waking up way beyond my usual (and desired) time.

However, due to a work commitment, I had to wake up early, and when I did, I was amazed by the qualitative difference in my thoughts in the morning compared to those late evenings I was keeping up.

Here are a few observations and subjective experiences—both good and not so good— about early morning and late nights—

Let me begin by sharing some not-so-pleasant things about keeping up late

• One feels more lonely
• There is a burden and barrage of thoughts and ideas accumulated over the day, which are not always positive
• Unwanted memories (particularly of old flames, people, and things long lost, etc.) surface up in the mind
• There is a higher chance of dwelling more on failures and losses.

Are there some plusses of staying up late sometimes?
Well, yes. Here are Some of the good things that I have observed :

• If you have company, either of your lover or a group of like-minded friends, nighttime is wonderful.
• Even for certain spiritual practices, the night is a potent time—especially the new moon, full moon, and Ekadashi nights.
• Some people find night to be a time for introspection and peace.
• I know a scholarly acquaintance who found it really peaceful to stay up at night and study.
• Some people are just built differently. They become more alert as the sun sets.

Now the plusses of waking up early:

• It seems like time stretches for you, and you have all the time in the world to do so much more. Effectively this also means that we are not slogging through the day hurriedly.
• A much calmer, clearer headspace
• I have inherently felt more hopeful about life when I wake up early
• Morning is undeniably the best time for spiritual practices like dhyān, Japā, Hatha yoga, physical exercises, reading something inspiring, or even journaling.
• It is even said that for one who rises up early to study (for students), information gets absorbed much more quickly.
• As per the Vedic scriptures, different times of the day are divided into different qualities or modes of nature. Early morning is an organically supportive time for more inducing Sattva or purity, calmness, and harmony.
• As per Ayurvedic texts, sleeping past 6 AM isn’t ideal for the body. The period between 6-10 AM is called ‘Kapha’ time. It is best to get active, engage in some form of movement and prepare the mind and body for the day ahead.

While I am biased towards waking up early thanks to my spiritual leanings and learnings, I have also found there can be a few challenges in waking up early, such as:

• If one forces themselves to wake up early, especially without the necessary lifestyle adjustments, one may get the early morning high but experience a crash in mood and energy in the afternoon.
• Many I know find it practically impossible to align their personal schedules owing to work-related travel or office timings.
• If one is living in a joint family setup, one needs to adapt to others’ schedules.
• Friends who are parents to a newborn baby struggle to get even a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, what to speak of maintaining schedules!

Now, some of the readers who are really attached to sleep and also love the late-night binging on hard, soft, or virtual drugs like social media, television, etc., may be wondering how to politely or directly tell me to shove the plusses of early morning in one of the nature granted outlets in my body.
I may even be termed a wanker for real!

And you know what? I do not take offense if any readers feel that way simply because these are subjective experiences that one can actualize only upon trying.

Now, when I say early morning, you would have noticed I have not mentioned any specific time. The reason is, depending on one’s schedule, priorities, etc., each one’s definition of early morning can differ.

For sincere spiritualists, there is no compromising on the Brahma Muhurtam, which is almost an hour before sunrise. And from practical experience, I can safely state that time IS powerful.

For most of us though, even waking up even thirty minutes to an hour earlier than the time we usually wake up can mean we can get to do so many things like:

• work on our physical fitness
• read
• meditate
• work on a hobby or side hustle

CALL TO ACTION

Let me leave you all with one practical experiment on calculating how much sleep your body needs on most days. Here’s what you can try:

• This experiment can be undertaken if the next day is an off day for you.
• Avoid any intoxication at least 8 hours before this experiment, including coffee.
• If possible, try and be in bed anytime between 10-12. Ideally, 10-11.
• Do not set an alarm.
• Put your phone away, perhaps in another room.
• If possible, make your room pitch dark.
• Just keep a book near you in case you just cannot fall asleep.
• Also, do keep a watch beside you.
• Try a few minutes of deep breaths, breathing in through the nostrils to a count of four and exhaling out through the nostrils to a count of four. Surrender the day and all your worries as you hit the sack.
• Notice around what time you become conscious the next day. The reason I use the word conscious is because often, I have noticed our body is rested and awake, but the mind doesn’t want to leave the bed.
• Note the time and calculate the number of hours it took you to become aware organically.
• Each one would need a different amount of time to sleep, depending on their work and body.
• Knowing the number of hours your body needs sleep, you can easily calculate your wake-up time and sleep schedule each day using the above experiment.

What has been your experience, dear reader?
Do you prefer the silence of late nights or the calmness of early morning?

Let me know if this piece helped you in some way. Thank you so much for staying with me on this post until the end.

Whatever may be your thoughts and personal experience, I wish you a healthy and joyful life experience.

See you soon again in another post.

Working on my evening schedules,
Kushagra