6 days

It seems like forever since I began this new writing practice, but in reality it has only been six days. On the weekend I didn't have any trouble getting up quickly to avoid disturbing Danny. The only hard day was yesterday; I felt sluggish, almost sick. I did not want to get up or go to work, but managed to go through the motions of the routine, had a shower and shoveled myself out the door. By 9:30 I felt better.

The only problem is I'm making no progress with the plot. I keep writing about characters, setting, and themes. Hopefully when I reread the first draft I'll be able to put together a new chapter outline. January is too busy. For now I'll just keep doing what I'm going, get the morning writing habit ingrained. The first weekend of February I want to designate a retreat to get a handle on the plot, but where will I go to escape the usual distractions?

Awake

There has been another more mysterious matter: every morning I lie awake for a while listening for the alarm until it drives me crazy. So I roll over and check the time. It is always somewhere between 4:15 and 5:00. So I immediately go back to sleep until the radio comes on at 5:55.

I slept poorly all my life, and the worst bouts of insomnia were accompanied by depression, anxiety and panic attacks until I started taking Remeron/mirtazapine in 2004. So sleep disturbances make me nervous.

Since 2004 I have been a sound sleeper and my state of mind has steadily improved. Lately I have been getting to bed by 11:30 at the latest, so I sleep at least six hours, which is enough. This habit of waking up too early is probably just part of adjusting to a new routine. Hopefully it will stop soon.