Perhaps early mornings are needed

Today was a very beautiful Sunday. It was nearly cloudless and the temperature was in the low 80s. But my plans for the day didn't quite work out the way I hoped. I was planning on writing this afternoon. I had a nice block of 3 hours that I expected to write and practice my saxophone. There were just too many things that needed to be done in preparation for family coming over for dinner. I did manage to review and submit my 2nd to last paper for my master's degree, so I got one important thing done. But that was about it.

I've observed that people who need long uninterrupted hours to work on a book, a class, or an idea tend to put those hours into time blocks where others aren't active. I remember one person I know talking about getting up at 3:00 AM to work on the classes he was writing. His family was asleep and it was before his business operated. Brandon Sanderson talks about deliberately working a night shift at a hotel, because very few people were up.

I'm not a full time writer. I have a job that takes up most of my day. My evenings are usually full with people or tasks. Band practice, errands, time with my wife, and more. I hate waking up, but I'm beginning to see that the only time I consistently have to write will be in the early morning. This is going to require some real rewiring of my brain and body. I'll need to wind down earlier and fall asleep much, much earlier. That way I can wake up well before work and have consistent, scheduled time to write.

On the plus side, if I force myself to go to bed at 10 or so, I should get more consistent sleep too. That is something I have lacked for years. The idea is good, but the struggle is going to be rough. I've always been a late night person. I just can't depend on those times for things I want to be consistent at. 🌅