Hey Time Dorks,

Thanks for all your responses to my request for feedback last week. Based on what we heard, we're going to experiment with a bi-weekly cadence for a little while.

In today's edition, we're going to talk about one of my favorite topics: sleep.

As a soon-to-be new parent (t-minus ~ 5 weeks!), I know my days of a perfectly optimized sleep schedule are limited. But like all tactics we recommend with Make Time, perfection is not the goal (it's really just another distraction.)

So keep that in mind today as we discuss a default shift that's rooted in our ancient biology and can help you feel fall asleep faster and wake up more energized, so you can ultimately be more focused and present for the moments that matter to you.

Something to Try

Throughout most of our time on this planet, our ancestors woke up with the sun and went to sleep after the sunset.

However, in our modern world, we are no longer ruled by the sun.

Thanks to the incredible invention of electricity, most of us have access to light 24/7.

Whether it's the overhead lights in your home, or the brilliant screens on your phone, laptop, or TV, you have access to way more light in your life than any human in evolutionary history.

For modern humans, we often forget that light is essentially simulating the sun for our brain and bodies.

It’s as though we’re telling our brains, “It’s day, it’s day, it’s day, it’s day—WHOA, IT’S NIGHT, GO TO BED.” No wonder we have trouble sleeping.

You have probably heard people mention how important it is to keep the screens out of your bedroom (we're big fans ourselves!).

That’s good advice, but for some it's not enough.

When JZ was trying to become a morning person, he discovered that he needed to change some defaults to create a better sleep strategy.

He needed to Fake the Sunset (#84).

Here’s how to do it:

1. Starting when you eat dinner or a few hours before your ideal bedtime, turn down the lights in your home. Switch off bright overhead lights. Instead, use dim tables or side lamps. For bonus points, light candles at the dinner table.
2. Turn on your phone, computer, or TV's “night mode.” These features shift screen colors from blue to red and orange. Instead of looking at a bright sky, it’s like sitting around a campfire. (Here's how on iPhone // Android)
3. When you go to bed, kick all devices out of the room (We call this tactic "Make Your Bedroom a Bed Room", #83).
4. Make your bedroom as dark as possible. If sunlight or streetlight is still sneaking into your bedroom, try a simple sleep mask over your eyes. It may feel and look a little silly, but they work.

If you often feel lethargic or low-energy in the morning, try faking the sunrise, too. In recent years, automatic “dawn simulator” lights have become smaller and cheaper thanks to improved LED technology and a healthy market of people who hate winter mornings.

The idea is simple: Before the alarm sounds, a bright light gradually turns on, simulating a perfectly timed sunrise and tricking your brain into waking up.

If you combine that with turning down the lights in the evening, it’s the next best thing to sleeping in a cave.

Tech & Tools

Wearing blue light blocking glasses towards the end of the day can help support your natural circadian rhythm and make it easier to wind down for bed. I wear my pair from Swanwick (a popular brand in the UK) most nights when I'm at home. Ra Optics is also a quality brand for those of you in the US.

Timely Quotes

Thanks for reading, see you in 2 weeks!
Connor