Or It Might Just Give Me a Stroke, Which Would Be Defeating the Purpose

I'm not getting enough done these days. Though I pride myself on being able to do more than most (attributable to excellent organizational skills and plenty of fine, fine French Roast), I'm still not cutting it. Like Michael Myers from the Halloween movies, my To Do list rises up every morning, seemingly immortal. I can't kill it.

When something in my life isn't working, I look for ways to fix it. I ran across a guy named Steve Pavlina, who wrote a surprisingly good book called Personal Development for Smart People.

(Surprisingly good because a) that title! and b) the annoying woo-woo or fluffy factors in most self-help books are absent. Instead, the book is loaded with solid information and useful tips for how to improve your life. His blog is a bit out there for my tastes, but I admire the way he pushes the conventional envelope.)

One thing I realized is that I need to get up earlier. I’m totally useless for any creative work past 8 p.m., so I’ve got to add work time early in the day. Pavlina recommends the 30-day challenge method of learning a new habit (where you commit to doing something every day for a month), and talks about how he used it to become a person who wakes up every day at 5 a.m. (I know. He’s smart, but he’s crazy.)

I decided to give it a shot. I settled on a 6 a.m. wakeup, giving me an extra hour or more to write. I’ve been especially tired lately, and when my alarm went off this morning I said to myself, “Five more minutes wouldn’t hurt. In fact, it might be smart to just lie here for a bit, to wake up slowly. Good idea!”

And then it was 8 a.m. Well-played, Kahler!

Pavlina talks about how it took him awhile to get it right, so I’m determined to keep trying. I mean, it’s only an hour or so earlier than I normally get up – how hard can it be? (Um, hard, apparently.) What worked for him was as soon as the alarm went off, he trained himself to do a quick stretch, then sit up and put his feet on the floor. No lying there thinking about it – get up and out. I’ll try that tomorrow. It’s either that, or I hire someone to wear a weird mask and wave a butcher knife at me every morning.

P.S. Check out these clips from Conan O’Brien’s last show. The first one is laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the last one, his heartfelt signoff, is especially worth watching if you’re a fan. Enjoy.