This experiment is dedicated to the ones who cringe at morning light. The ones who buy thick curtains so the morning doesn’t disturb their slumber. The ones who wake up ten minutes before class to test their limits and time management skills. I’m here to let you know that you are not alone. I may be just like you or I might be the extreme case that ends up making you feel excellent about yourself. It's probably the latter, but I hope we are two peas in a pod. My classes begin at 11:00 AM every day, and getting ready and drive time combined allow me 30 minutes, at the absolute minimum, to get to class on time and semi-presentable. It makes me reminisce about my high school days when I was consistently forced to arrive at 8:00 AM and it honestly feels like another life.

I’ve obviously taken a turn for the worst, but I’m a huge fan of self-improvement, even in the smallest forms. For this experiment, I decided to wake up at 7:30 AM every day for a week and keep a log of my feelings, the level of “tired” that I feel, and my overall success rate. This may not interest you, but my hope is that you can take comfort in the fact that you are most likely a raging success in comparison.

CAPTAIN'S LOG DAY ONE: Goal! With an assist from mom

My alarm sounded at 7:30 AM and I am not exaggerating when I say, I did not even crack an eye open. I just remember making the cringe worthy noise stop and continuing to rest. A short amount of time passed when I was forcibly removed from my bed, by my mother. I suddenly regretted not going back to Waco directly from Spring Break because it gave my mother opportunity to wake me. I was resentful, but the goal was met. I proceeded to drive from Dallas to Waco after a very late night of brain storming about this very article. I did not nap to honor the commitment to my experiment. I was prepared to go to sleep early when I regretfully caught a second wind and stayed up until 2:00 AM. I know what you are thinking, and you are right; going to bed late is counterproductive for an early bird experiment. Tired Level: 4/10

CAPTAIN’S LOG DAY TWO: Saved by my trusty internal alarm

I have a faint recollection of my alarm sounding, yet I have no knowledge of when or how I made it stop. I woke up naturally at 9:30 AM and meditated over the fact that I failed only the second day into my experiment. I took a small amount of joy in the fact that I still woke up earlier than usual, so in a larger sense, I am making progress. After class and work, I complained to my roommates about “how the week feels so long because it's only Monday,” to which I was informed that it was Tuesday. That is when I realized sleeping is directly correlated to my competency. To ensure that I would not fail again, I decided that "morning people" actually have things to do in the morning. My mistake is that I had been stretching what I usually can accomplish in 30 minutes into my experiment so I have no sense of urgency. I decided to leave a small amount of homework for the morning and also left my sanity up to fate. I accidentally went to bed a little after 2:00 AM and expect terrible results for Wednesday. Tired Level: 6

CAPTAIN’S LOG DAY THREE: History does seem to repeat itself

My internal alarm saved the day again when I woke at 9:40 AM with no memory of disabling my alarm. I started to wonder why people wake up at 7:30 AM on purpose without an obligation getting them out of bed. Is it possible to wake up, from sleeping, more tired than yesterday? I continued my day carrying around the guilt of this unsuccessful experiment and decided to do as much as humanly possible to be productive and make up for my failure. I got home and cooked vegetables, did my homework, and applied for internships. It seems that I have painted you the perfect picture of young adulthood at its finest, but I stayed up until 3:00 AM and passed out from exhaustion. I understand that this experiment should be scrapped because fighting the war of staying up late and waking up early is a battle that I will never win. Tired Level: 6

CAPTIAN’S LOG DAY FOUR: Blatant disregard for my self-assigned quest

I was extremely aware of my alarm and made a conscious decision to ignore it. I justified my decision by thinking that, if I rest more this morning, the final day of my experiment could be a success. I slept until a little after 9:00 AM, and I do not regret my decision because I consider it an investment for the future success of my quest of self-betterment. My daywent ordinarily, and I was fully prepared to go to bed early. I hate to say that I ended up not being able to sleep and I actually prayed, asking God why I always get a productivity spurt from 1:00-2:00 AM. I decided to create a list of things that I should accomplish before class to help myself wake up. Again, I know what you are thinking; it is almost as if I am incapable of learning a lesson. Tired Level: 8

CAPTAIN’S LOG DAY FIVE: High hopes for the future

What can I say? I am a creature of habit. Today was a day that will resonate with me for years to come. I will think back to this week and remember that I attempted to wake at 7:30 AM with an average of waking up at 9:30 AM each morning. Yet, on the final day of the experiment, I surprised even myself and woke up at 10:00 in the morning. Yes, you read that right. My progress report is at an all-time decline. Since I brilliantly made a list of things to do before class, I spent the morning frantically trying to accomplish my homework, pack my things, and get ready, all while making it to class on time. Some people use coffee as a tool to wake them up ,and I regretfully report that I lean on my poor time management related anxiety. Not only has my success rate been very poor, I was the most tired on the final day of my experiment. Tired Level: 9

I have a new found respect for those individuals that are able to get up and function in the early hours. I will never stop attempting to evolve into an early bird. For the sake of this failed experiment, I will take comfort in the fact that that I hopefully made some people feel better on days that they are feeling unproductive, unsuccessful, or a little down.