I have fallen asleep trying to read an article in a coffee shop, on the other side of town, surrounded by people I don't know, with the smell of espresso on my breath!
I have fallen asleep at the 24-hour library that I forced myself to drive to, because "investing in the time to drive to campus, and set up my computer, and lay out all of my research will force me to stay awake; especially if I'm surrounded by a lot of other people who are up working at 2am."
Drive + set up? 40 minutes.
Time spent working before I started to nod? 20 minutes
What does that mean? It means that after I've gone to great lengths to stay awake and get some work done, my body just hits a point where it vetoes all of my brain's efforts. "Yeah, that's cute. You keep at it. Meanwhile, the rest of us are going to sleep. You do whatever you want."
So, here's the process:
"Man! This chair is really uncomfortable. -ugh- my back hurts!" (10 minutes pass)
"[sigh] My ass feels numb, this chair is so hard, damn!" (change position. 5 minutes pass)
"Damn! My knees really hurt. I gotta take some glucosamine." (2 minutes pass)
"Damn, my neck! I wonder if there are any videos of bear cubs fighting wildebeests over donuts?" (2 minutes pass)
"Oh! Has anyone e-mailed me since 1:45am?" (check e-mail, and feel legitimately disappointed)
"Hhhhh... okay, have I read this already? Shit! I've underlined this and made notes in the margin! Have I been re-reading this whole time?!? Fuck!" (1.5 minutes pass)
"This is the most uncomfortable chair I've ever sat in in my life. How do people get anything done in these crappy chairs? It would be so much easier to get through this material if I weren't constantly distracted by how uncomfortable I am the whole time!" (and so it begins)
"Really, what I need to do is get somewhere where my body will be comfortable, I can relax, and not be distracted. THEN I'll be really productive."
Typically, I wake up the next morning in a recliner with an article in my lap, and the light on. Really? Really? Leaving the light on was suppose to make a difference? Really?
Sometimes, all I can do is laugh.
Oh! And here is what my waking hours look like:
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