Insomnia: Thief of Productivity and Fuel for Procrastination

My sleep schedule is not much of a schedule, but if I had to compare it to anything, I would say it is a hybrid third-shift schedule. This cuts down on how much time I have to get things done during the day. Considering how much I need to get done and how little time I have to do it, I feel I am fighting a losing battle. Why bother?

I spend most of the night and half of the day in bed. This leaves me less than 10 hours that I am not in bed. That is a typical day. I am not lazy. I am simply trying to get something loosely resembling a decent amount of sleep.

A long to-do list with no time to tackle it

When you normally get out of bed around noon, half of the day is already gone. I must go to bed every night around 10 PM in order to get enough sleep to function. It is a struggle, and changing my bedtime drastically cuts the amount of sleep I get. Staying up later to get things done makes it almost impossible to get anything done the next day.

My productivity is dwindling to dangerous levels. I feel like I am getting very little done on most days. My house is only empty and quiet for about 3 hours after I wake up. That means I only have 3 hours to accomplish everything that needs silence for concentration. If I get a phone call, it is even less time. Every bathroom break robs me of precious time, and I have IBS, so that in itself is a time-suck.

Trying to schedule is a waste of time

Eating anything during the day is out of the question. I have to wait to eat if I want a chance to get anything done. I cannot schedule meals on days when I must get things done. Forget about scheduling appointments. If I must see a doctor, that means I cannot get anything done. Appointments of any kind must be scheduled during the few office hours available after I wake. That is a big problem.

Some may be asking why I do not get up earlier for appointments. Me getting up at 8 or 9 AM is like a person with a normal sleep schedule getting up at 1 or 2 AM for an appointment. My family understands this because I have told them this many times. Others do not seem to understand. Trying to schedule anything seems like a big waste of time. It definitely steals away what precious time I have during the day.

Procrastination is easy when you have excuses

Why bother trying to get things done when I know I do not have time? Why should I spend the few hours of quiet available to me to tackle work on a long list I will never be able to finish?

Do I really need to stress over everything when I cannot change the situation? Should I expend what little energy I have and add to my fatigue when I cannot get everything done?

It is that easy to make excuses for procrastinating.

Keep trudging through or throw in the towel?

I struggle with this on a daily basis. Battling fatigue is hard, and it makes the perfect excuse for putting off tasks. Having little time each day means every day is a juggling act, and the stress of it all adds to my trouble sleeping.

Am I making things worse by trying to get so much done each day? I can find a million reasons why I should just skip it all. I struggle to find reasons to keep trudging through each day and tackling projects.

Perhaps you are also feeling unproductive. Perhaps you also struggle with procrastination. You are not alone. How do you manage to stay productive and fight the urge to procrastinate? I would love to hear how you conquer these beasts.