Life without an Alarm Clock
It all started several months ago when someone I was dating made the startling revelation they did not use an alarm clock. At first I was dumbfounded; how in the world could anyone function without an alarm clock? To me, this was almost like living without electricity or modern plumbing. The alarm clock was the safety backup mechanism to make sure you got up on time for important appointments etc. I had relied on it for half my life so I could wake for classes, work or other important appointments. I started pestering my friend with questions: how did you get up on time? what was your morning routine? when did you go to bed? In reply, I was told, “I just wake up when my body tells me to wake up which 99% of the time is around 5:30 or 6:30 am. My morning routine is waking up, showering, breakfast, then doing an hour of house cleaning followed by a 45 minutes of power walking.” The work day for her stared around 9:30 or 10:00 with client meetings. So, she was usually up several hours before she actually needed to be and really had no need for an alarm clock; even oversleeping by several hours would not mean she would miss important meetings, it only meant less house cleaning or missing a power walk. Hmmm… interesting I thought.
A couple months later I decided to make several changes in my life. One of these was to quit using an alarm clock. For 19 years I had goal of being dressed and ready for work by 9:00 am. I felt reckless and living on the edge to not use an alarm clock. The first few mornings I slept poorly at night, waking up every few hours to check my clock to see what time it was. After a few nights I would just sleep if it was dark and only start checking the alarm when it was light out. After two or three months, I finally got to the point to where I didn’t start waking up until it was fully light outside. At this point, I normally go to bed around 11:30 pm and usually wake around 6:30 or so. In the last six months I’ve only slept once or twice past 8:00 am and I only use my alarm if I have to get up before earlier than that.
Overall I’m pleased with life without an alarm clock. I feel I’m much more productive by gaining about two hours of production time in the mornings while feeling fully rested. Is living without an alarm clock for everyone? I’d guess it would only really work for those who don’t have an employer, or have a work start time several hours after sunrise. If you have either of these situations, I’d highly recommend it as a great way to let your body determine how much sleep you need.
