The 9:45 PM Evening Rule
Recently I have far too often been browsing blogs, responding to email, and chatting to collueages over Skype in the late hours of the night.Let me tell you this is not a good routine for someone who is waking up at 6AM every weekday morning. It doesn’t put me in the best position to be focused on studying the next morning.
I haven’t been hard enough on myself, I have a morning routine set in stone, but evenings just seem to linger. I find myself browsing through the blogosphere, picking up inspiration to create content and be creative, and the hours simply pass by while I’m completely oblivious to the fact.
Though the late hours of the evening yeild great results for my blogging, they are far less productive per hour compared to the early morning. I’m making a pledge to shut down my Mac by 9:45 PM each and every night so I can get into a better evening routine.
How will I use the next 45 minutes before I go to bed? I’ll use it to read, to jot down notes in my notebook, draw design sketches, and be productive away from the stress of my email beeping every minute.
What time are you usually off your computer at night?
#1
Arjun → www.cupofchai.net
I don’t switch off my Mac. Once I’m done with work, I don’t linger on aimless leisure - usually. Once I’m done I’ll feel it in m back, because I hate sitting around aimlessly. So I get into bed, cuddle up, turn my Mac around (I have it on a turntable) and watch some TV epsidoe that I haven’t watched, or scan the EyeTV. Then I sleep.
#2
Edward Scherf → edwardscherf.com
I’m lucky if I get to bed before the sun comes back up. I’m hardly ever away from my mac. But, it might be nice to set up something like this and unwind from my daily workload.
#3
Josh → maconlyreview.wordpress.com
I may very well implement this. Too often I stay up on my Mac chatting on Adium, and tired eyes and poor attention span the next day is a result of this. I might start tonight with shutting down my Mac at 9.45, doing a Sudoku puzzle, a few exercises then listening to a Pzizz Sleep Module. Does anyone else use Pzizz?
#4
Steffan Williams → www.steffanwilliams.co.uk/blog
I head to bed between 2 and 5am usually. Some days I have to be up for 7am, some days I have to be up for 10am.. I very rarely get that much sleep but I’d rather spend my time doing something a bit more active and interesting than lying in bed doing nothing.
That’s my main problem.. even if I go to the gym, I don’t get to sleep very easily, so I tend to stay awake until I literally can’t function and then go to bed. It’s served me for years, so I don’t plan on changing now! =P
#5
Kiro → tstitch.wordpress.com
That’s a good idea. I usually get off around 10:30. That seems to be the best time for me. Then I can clear my head and find a good book or play my wii. I find now that usually go to bed earlier now. 1 because I have this annoying cough and 2 because testing is coming up and I gotta prep for those. -_-”
So ya good idea. It seems that a lot of bloggers are cutting back now-a-days and I think it’s pretty smart. =D
#6
Zach Wilt → zamwi.com
9:45 is about the middle of my day, it is when I am most productive too. I close my MBP’s top around 2 in the morning, then I am back up around 9.
#7
Laurence Anderson → amacgenius.com
I’m usually home around 4PM, at which time I sit down, read email, check blogs, RSS, etc - then I’m (breaks included) sitting at my desk until around 9-10PM at which time I dim my display (MacBook) all the way, and crawl into bed where I watch some TV until I fall asleep.
#8
MacFreak → macfreak.wordpress.com
I don’t think I’ve turned off my Mac for like 6 months.
#9
EnriqueIs it better then to shut down the mac? or to put it to sleep?
#10
alej744Does anyone here go to school!?
#11
NathanBetween 1am and 2am here.
I have a chronic habit of telling myself tonight I’m going to go to bed earlier, and then I find something on the net at 11.45 and it ends up being another post 1am-er. haha.
#12
Glenn Wolsey → www.glennwolsey.com
MacFreak. I don’t shut down the computer, I was just metaphorically speaking. I put it to sleep.
#13
Pierre Lourens → honestchaos.com
Lately, I’ve been shutting my Macbook’s screen at 10:30, and falling asleep around 11. I wake up at 5, and I try to get sleep in cycles of 90 minutes, so that I don’t wake up in the middle of R.E.M. So that 6 hours of sleep does me much better than if I went to bed earlier just to get more sleep. Right now, my rule is 11. I may change that to 9:45, so that I can get 7hr 45min of sleep and it’s still in the 90 minute cycle.
#14
wphj → www.wphj.wordpress.com
I go to sleep around 11, I’m usually off my computer by 10, but sometimes I’ll go on for 10 minutes or so right before I go to sleep.
#15
Aaron → www.milienzo.com
Well it’s ten past midnight and reading this post is making me feel guilty…
Good night!
#16
Laurence Anderson → amacgenius.com
@alej744:
I’m sure most of the 14/15 commenters here go to school, if not have some sort of day job.
#17
mike → cronoh.livejournal.com
I’m a late night kind of guy. I’m usually up until 3-4am, generally doing stuff on the net. To wind down, I’ll take a shower and then lay in bed listening to a podcast/reading for awhile. Usually results in me getting no sleep on days when I have class early, but meh. I’m awake when its late.
#18
Steffan Williams → www.steffanwilliams.co.uk
I’m a University student. My timetable is a bit more, how can I say this.. relaxed.. than a school timetable.
For example, I have ten hours a week on average. Last week I had two hours, this week I have eight. None of this really makes a difference to my sleeping habit - I’ve been really bad a sleeping for years. =P
#19
DeathAxe → justincomparable.com
I usually shut down my computer between 9:30 and 10PM. Then I listen to some music.
#20
Justin Brown → www.jdbmac.wordpress.com
I usually stay up until around 11:15 on my Mac and then wake up around 6AM. I really should start getting off my mac earlier but…. easier said than done.
#21
Shawn Blanc → thefightspot.com
I’m in the exact same boat as you. I get up at 6 every day, and I am usually on my mac before I go to bed as well.
If I don’t get focused about my time in the evenings then I end up wasting it and usuall staying up too late.
I like the 9:45 rule. Just shut ‘er down.
#22
Smaran → smarandayal.com
I’m going to join you in this, Glenn. My Mac goes off by 9:45 PM from now on.
#23
Stephen Paul → ccjohannesburg.com
Wow… I wish I were that strong…
I too wake up around six each morning and I too stay up on my Mac into the wee hours of the night, causing me to not get enough sleep. At all. I always feel drowsy and out of focus, very forgetful. I hate it… If I could end that early I really would, but that’s just not gonna happen - School is too taxing and doesn’t leave me with enough time to do stuff like blog and read blogs, so I’m going to have to not join you in your peace & quiet until at least 10:30/11 pm.
Which stinks.
#24
Michael → www.whalesalad.com
The G5 hasn’t been off, or even asleep, for months. It’s essentially on 24/7.
I’m writing this comment now at 2:16 am, and probably won’t be to sleep for a few more hours. I’ll wake up at 5. Welcome to my life :)
#25
paka → www.wants.to.know.com
Well… as everyday I say, today I am gonna go to sleep ealier and it never happens :| My girlfriend is even complaining I should go to sleep with her, just lay down together for at least 10 minutes. Usually what happens I am late and she already felt asleep or I keep working :|
#26
Taylor → www.taylorsblog.com
Glenn. I don’t have a mac but my computer gets “Shut Down” at about 10:30 pm. I Think that is a little late so maybe I will try your 9:45 pm thing. It sounds productive. Great idea!
#27
Alec Feld → alecfeld.com
I wish I had the quality of commiting to something like that. It’s good that you’re taking initiative on when things happen, I wish I could do that, my time schedule is way too loose and flexible.
I suppose it’s because I procrastinate too much. I always say “oh I’m so getting up at 6 AM tomorrow and getting lots of stuff done” (actually happened this morning again) and then I never do it. The alarm sounds off, I turn the alarm off, and go back to bed. It’s the same thing with the computer. “You know, I’ll turn it off at 11 tonight”, yet it never happens. I always say “just a half hour more” or “just one more hour” and that ends up being three hours, me going to bed at 2/3 AM, and getting up at 7 with only four hours of sleep.
I suppose that, even if I did turn my Mac off at 9:45, I would still be up just as late watching TV something else.
The 9:45 time doesn’t really work out for me though. I tend to do more work and better work later in the night, so doing homework/research is usually done by me around 8/9/10/11.
#28
Keenan → keendog.blogspot.com
I really can’t even start getting down to serious work until 10, so a rule like that wouldn’t work for me.
#29
Tim → www.funkeemunkeeland.com
I use the Energy Saver to auto shutdown at midnight. It prompts me to okay or cancel. At least then I feel guilty when I stay up. It has been effective in sending me to bed earlier. Even if I don’t go to bed it allows me to regulate and not push past the point of too little sleep.
I use the method below to figure out how much sleep I get:
http://tinyurl.com/88qug
My mac doesn’t sleep, third party usb 2 card makes go into a coma instead.
#30
Brian Amerige → flowapp.com
I get home around 3 PMish, where I write software until about 5 PM. I eat dinner, get my schoolwork done, and I’m usually finished with that by 9 or 10 PM. From then to about 12:30 or 1 AMish, I write software some more. I usually watch TV after that until around 2 AM, and wake the next morning at 7:00 AM.
#31
AllyWhoa, this is scaring me with the little amount of sleep everyone is getting - not to mention, making me feel guilty!
The past few weeks have seen me slipping into a routine of chatting/surfing/SIMS2′ing until around 1-1:30am each morning.
I then wake at 4am to make sure my partner gets off to work in time (he’s a shift worker)… and I always tell myself “today I’m going to get up at 6am and go for a run” - but because of the lack of sleep I end up getting up at 7:30am, which only just gives me enough time to get ready for work which starts at 8:30am!
Good advice Glenn, I might start trying to make my bedtime 10pm or so. Nice round number and that way if I wake at 6am to go for a run I’ve still had 8 hours sleep! (She says at 11:40pm… hahaha)
#32
yannic → yannicwalter.de
Hmm usually I shut down my mac(s) by 10:00-10:30 PM..
But sometimesI find it much more relaxing and inspiring to spend time on non-digital media, though.
Reading a good book or writing some toughts down in my moleskine is a good finish for a busy and exhausting day.
#33
Jörn → iwritestuff.net
Love this idea!
I, too, have a morning routine, but I fail to go to bed at regular times. I won’t go so far as to shut down my pc at a given time, but I think I will try disconnecting from the internet at 10pm or so.
Thanks for sharing!