Adaption & Understanding

Well, I've been on this polyphasic sleep thing for a while now. There are sporadic fluctuations in sleep times. I've had two sinus infections which necessitated that I sleep more, but I've always taken my naps and I'm starting to feel a sense of normalcy.

It's kind of weird having so much time in the day. I don't feel like a superhuman or anything, rather that my life has expanded. I'm pursuing goals that I've wanted to since I was a kid! I'm knitting, writing, practicing penmanship, and teaching myself how to code; and that's not even all of it.

But something else has happened as well. I'm beginning to notice just how limited my life was before adapting to this schedule. I used to wake up (slightly late), cook breakfast, and rush out the door. Work was slightly satisfying, but I felt a slight sense of helplessness, as if I were stuck and the choice I made to become a mechanic was a terminal one. When I got home from work I felt lethargic. My wife would have some chore or something which needed to be done, but I hadn't the strength or motivation to do it. I'd watch a couple of hours of television, then hit the sack, only to do it all over again. Weekends were a hazy disappointment at best. I had so many things on my plate that I could never tack one goal down. I'd get depressed and end up not doing anything at all.

This isn't to say that simply adopting a polyphasic sleep schedule was a magic bullet, but it acted as the catalyst for monumental change at 1% daily. Let me iterate. As I started my quest into night consciousness, I found that without a task or goal, I simply went back to sleep. I'd just drift off. So, very quickly, I started pursuing very simple goals. 15 minutes of penmanship practice. I've always wanted to be a really good penman, so 15 minutes was nothing; especially at 3 in the morning. Having completed that task and bathing in the glow of endorphins, I started to complete knitting a simple scarf that I had been trying to finish for over 6 months (I'm not a very good knitter, but I enjoy it as it helps with stress). 30 minutes out of the way, I'd drink some coffee and read. I completed 7 full books while on vacation in Italy, so in hopes of continuing, I started checking out e-books from the local library's website (something I had time to teach myself how to do as I had no idea).

Then I had an insane idea. I've read about all the great polymaths like Leonardo deVinci and Benjamin Franklin. I wanted to learn a college level skill on my own time without paying for it. Enter computer programming. I started with Codecademy. After completing what I wanted to in the free section, I started searching for ways to network. My thought was to motivate by immersion. I attended a few meetups with javascript developers and obtained a fantastic resource: freecodecamp.com. Now I spend the time knitting, practicing penmanship, and learning how to code all before I go to work in the morning. By the time I start working on my first car, I've already completed multiple goals. I'm actually attaining my dreams.

I'm not in a rush, but I am on a quest. 1% daily is all I want. In time, perhaps I'll achieve Franklin status. If not, at least I'll be able to knit one heck of a scarf.