“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

-benjamin franklin

welcome to another issue of Wellness Wednesdays, here at FWP.

the past several weeks or so, i haven’t been sleeping very well or much at all.  as a result, i find that i am becoming sloppy with my day to day financial goals.

since i have become obsessed with crocheting and also enjoy reading, i stay up until about 1 or 2 a.m. before turning in.  this is actually quite suboptimal because the SO’s new job requires that he awaken around 5-5:30 daily.  when i sleep as late as i do, i won’t get up until about 8.  but since i am a light sleeper, i awaken also when he rises and prepares for work.  and then the next 3 hours of sleep may or may not be fragmented sleep.

i’m not complaining about the SO waking up so early.  mostly, i know that there are choices i can make to better ensure a solid and continuous 7-9 hours of sleep.  i’ve just been making less optimal choices recently, apparently.

consequently, all kinds of ‘ailments’ trouble me throughout the work days:

• neck aches
• headaches
• fatigue
• drowsiness

the following abilities have gone awry:

• do my job at all
• make decisions about eating and drinking
• make decisions about how much to spend
• focus for long periods of time
• distractability

a guest post by john wesley at zenhabits dot net wrote,

“Get Your Rest. It might seem obvious, but the biggest factor affecting concentration is rest. If you aren’t well rested your mind will be scattered and lethargic.”

indeed.

throughout the day lately, i haven’t been eating very well, or much at all.  often times my lunch is late, if i eat anything.  i don’t try as purposefully as i used to, to prepare a hearty lunch before i leave for work in the morning.  i don’t drink enough water or other liquids, aside from the morning coffee (which doesn’t count), throughout the day.

i have spent a few dollars here and there on coffee at the cafe downstairs, or $5-8 on lunch a 2-3 days a week.  this would then be about $10-$25 a week, or $40-$100 a month.  i had not been spending money at all on lunch or coffee while at work for about a month if not two now! but when i find myself without food at work, all i can think about is either: a) choosing not to eat, b) eat something little and not filling enough but spend little, or c) spending too much on too much food.  my ability to make strategize with money feels very compromised.

the article 15 ways to live deliberately at pickthebrain dot com says,

“Sleep affects every aspect of our being.  Our minds and our bodies can either thrive or struggle based on the amount and consistency of sleep we get each night.. the fact is, everything from how much exercise we get each day to what and when we eat our meals, has a tremendous affect on how well we sleep.”

we have all heard similar lines of reasoning many times before.  i know without a doubt that lack of sleep is the root cause of my recent problems.  but how can i think about eating healthily or making my lunch in the mornings, when i can barely get myself out of bed and out the door?  how can i adamantly remind myself of making my own coffee, choose to save money, when i can barely stay awake or attentive at my desk?

if i do not eat (well), i may save money for the day, but am even more exhausted, get headaches, don’t want to do any work, am miserable.  on the other hand, if i spend a few dollars on coffee or several on a lunch i can’t even finish (and most likely won’t finish later for various reasons), i feel disappointed and dismayed at my setback.  a no-win situation?

i would really like to sleep better and earlier in the weeks to come.  this lifestyle of fatigue and being wasteful of money saddens me a bit, and irritates me tremendously.  i doubt myself and my ability to follow through with my financial goals.  i wonder if i can really achieve a debt-free life and financial wellness.

i require a plan of action.  in you’re broke because you want to be, larry winget wrote a great quote about plans:

“Broke happens when you don’t have a plan.”

this certainly can apply here — if i don’t have a better sleep plan than whatever it is i am doing at the moment, becoming debt-free will take longer to happen, if it ever does happen!

in the same article at zenhabits dot com, wesley advises,

“..[make] sure you get the right amount of sleep at the right time. Set a regular bed time for yourself and use an evening routine to wind down so you don’t have trouble sleeping.”

ok, my plan:

1. crawl into bed by midnight for a week or so
2. wake up at 8 am the next day, make coffee, breakfast and lunch
3. hydrate and eat lunch at work
4. repeat

then the following week, i can move the time up by half an hour, so that i go to bed about 11:30 pm, and awaken around 7:30 a.m.  the SO and i had a chat about this over the weekend, so that i can slowly make the adjustment to going to bed earlier and awaking earlier.

and i know that this seemingly simple to plan (but difficult to implement!) commitment will make a world of difference in my day-to-day functionality, and thereby my spending decisions.

in the same 15 ways article above, pickthebrain dot com says,

“So make it a high priority to find a sleep routine that works for you and stick with it.  Your motivation and all around well being depends on it!”

indeed.  our financial well-being depends on it!

what do you think?

do you believe that your sleeping habits whether good or bad affects your money-related decision-making?

have you found that you too spend more money if significantly less well rested?