[cjmewett]

[ QUOTE ]
I have incredibly bad sleep habits and I know it kills productivity.

I think part of the root cause in my case is it's the only time in the day when the world leaves me alone. No phones. No interruptions. The time is all mine. If I work I'm 100% more productive than I am during the work day. If I avoid work at least I'm alone with my thoughts and able to pursue 100% my own agenda.

For example it's 4 AM now. If I work I will clear a ton of e-mails. If I go to bed, even if I get up at 6:30 to get the Boy off to school, or 10:00 if the hubby does it, I won't be productive again until at least mid-day. My brain just doesn't function well in the morning, (except in the case of a command performace, conference call, meeting, flight, etc.)

Then there are the times when I'm sitting there with a ton of e-mails to read, yet find myself doing things like reading threads about sleeping on 2p2, searching out various minutiae. So for me, it's a mix of being uber productive late night hours and doing everything in my power to avoid the work stacked up.

I'm pretty sure the non productive portion is connected with compulsiveness. For some reason we just can't let go.

I am amazed that so many others suffer from the same affliction.

The Poker Mom

[/ QUOTE ]This explanation stands out among the many other familiar ones. The issue of increased nighttime productivity is an important one, though I'm glad to see that for others -- as for me -- it is often a case of merely lamenting a lack of productivity rather than actually getting things done.

I consider myself to be something of an alone-person and enjoy the fact that between 10 PM and about 8AM, I can't reasonably be expected to do anything for anyone (including communicate with them). This makes me want to be awake for more of those hours (and conaequently, asleep for more of the hours when people do want things from me, however unlikely this may be).

This all makes me wonder if the not-going-to-sleep thing is really just a manifestation of my desire not to be controlled or impacted by the decisions of others. Perhaps this one seemingly small decision is one of the few places we can exert a full measure of control over our actions and do what the hell we want to do .