More Zs

I felt like a zombie during much of my first day of work. This was due in equal part to two factors: first of all, I closed my eyes around 11:45 Sunday night with a 6:30 alarm set for yesterday morning. I knew I should have gone to bed much earlier, but I just couldn't make myself fall asleep. (Having War of the Worlds playing simultaneously didn't do me any favors.) Fewer than 7 hours of shut-eye was not enough for someone who's been accustomed to going to sleep between midnight and 1:00 a.m. and snoozing until 8:45, before getting in a great workout and a hearty breakfast to jump-start the day.

Also, I wouldn't say that I have a caffeine addiction, but it certainly kick-starts things nicely for me in the morning. Normally, I enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee around 10:00 before I buckle down on schoolwork. I've mentioned before that I can't bring coffee with me to work or morning activities because it makes me, er, go. Something I refuse to do in restrooms that dozens of staff share. Now that I've begun work for the summer, my leisure time is significantly reduced, I'm not necessarily able to fit workouts in before work, and my sleep schedule is all out of whack. I know I need to rely less on caffeine to get me through the day, but Coke Zero and DP10 are such convenient and inviting sources of awakeness. Yup. Made that up.

My new routine needs to look more like this: arise at 6:30, leave the house at 7:25, work 8:00-3:00, (insert gym routine here), dinner, family and/or leisure activities, next-day and lunch prep, bed at 10:00, repeat. With more exercise and less caffeine as part of my summer routine, maybe I won't look like part of the Zombie Apocalypse walking around work... Change is in order!

Edited to add: I've been refraining from taking even powernaps in the afternoon. Naps stave off the immediate drowsiness, but they prevent me from being tired later when I really need to be.