Sleep Adjustment - Gain 10 days per year

On Dumb Little Man I have mentioned (several times) that I am generally awake each morning at 4AM. While that time may seem inconceivable to most of you, the simple idea of at least waking up earlier in general should be easy to swallow.

From 4-6 AM, I simply get a ton of things done. In fact, I'd argue that I get more done from 4-6 AM than I do from 8-Noon. No matter what I decide to do, it's uninterrupted simply because no one else is awake and functioning. It's purely a time for knocking out tasks (work or home related), reading, project work, planning, etc. It's great.

My life was not always this way, I used to be the guy that stayed up late and woke up with barely enough time to shower before work. So, how did I change that? It's actually pretty simple, I installed a regimen that I have now followed for years. On average, I believe that I have given myself an extra 5 hours per week or (do the math) an extra 10.8 days per year to get stuff done.

• Lying in bed is not sleeping: 10:00 PM was my previous bedtime. Frankly, I chose that time because that's when my parents went to bed when I was a kid. I had no real reason for it. What I found was that I would watch the news and then end up lying in bed for an hour pondering and stressing.
  In my belief, the key to extending your days is to lie down when you simply cannot ponder any longer. If you are drifting off at the computer, while reading, or watching TV, it's time to get to bed. Your bedtime should and will vary from night to night. Let your body tell you when to sleep as opposed to the following the 8-hour rule. Really, how good is that rule if you a laying in bed awake for an hour?
  
  
• Rise and Shine: No matter what time you to go to bed - you're alarm should go off each morning at the same time, 7 days per week. When I started this self-programming, I chose 4AM and today, regardless of the time I hit the rack, I am up at 4AM without an alarm. I have gone to bed at 2:30 AM on occasion and still gotten up automatically at 4:00 feeling good.
  


• Sleepy at Noon?: We've all heard the some countries encourage lunchtime naps. Well, me too. For lunch, I eat a sandwich and when possible (and only when I feel tired, this is not daily) I take a power nap that lasts all of 20 minutes. Instead of sitting at my desk for lunch, I will hop in the car and head to a forest preserve, behind a strip mall, etc. I eat, and then turn the radio down for a quick nap (set your cell phone alarm). I wake up totally refreshed. It's actually kind of eerie because the energy I have after this little midday nap easily trumps the energy I had in the morning.

These 3 simple things have created a self-adjusting alarm clock inside my body. Since I wake up at the exact same time each day, my body knows how to adjust. In the evening, it will (through drifting off) tell me to go to bed earlier if in fact I am tired. On the flip side, if my body has the energy, I can write on this site or do whatever until 1AM if I want. This is essentially due to a hormone release that happens internally. I am programmed to be drowsy when I need to be and productive when I don't.

Think about what you could do with this added 5 hours per week. I am not implying that you have to be up at 4AM, but if in fact you find yourself "trying" to fall asleep or watching TV for hours at night, this may be something for you to try.

Source : Dumb Litte Man

Nepali test in Bhaktapur cancelled; Panel formed to probe 'leakage'

The Education Ministry has cancelled Thursday's test on Nepali subject in Bhaktapur district following the proof of leakage of question paper of ongoing School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exams.
At the end of day-long discussions at the Ministry, Pradeep Nepal, Minister for Education and Sports, told media that all officials of the Office of Controller of Examinations (OCE) have been recalled and brought "under the purview of investigation."
Ministry's joint secretary Arjun Bahadur Bhandari has been deputed to take charge of OCE.
Likewise, three-member panel has been formed to probe the leakage incident. The panel is headed by Kedar Prasad Poudel, joint secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Other members of the panel include Superintendent of Police Navaraj Silwal and joint controller of examination at Tribhuwan University Anup Kumar Shrestha. The panel will start its investigation beginning Sunday and will submit its report within 15 days.
Apart from today's test in Bhaktapur district, all other tests will resume as per the schedule. "In Bhaktapur, too, other tests will proceed smoothly," said Nepal. He informed that reports of leakage of question paper of other subjects could not be verified.
On Wednesday night, cadres of Young Communist League (YCL) caught two teachers trying to sell leaked Nepali question paper. They were later arrested by the police. The incident caused a furor leading the Ministry to take the decision to investigate it. nepalnews.com sd Apr 05 07

Marwari community in panic; 20 abducted in two weeks

In a shocking revelation, a daily paper has exposed that criminal gang/s specialising in kidnapping have kidnapped 20 businessmen from Marwari community in the past two weeks from the capital.
Nepal Samacharpatra daily quotes Tolaram Dugar, president of Nepal National Marwari Council, as saying that none of the kidnapper could be nabbed by the police.
"After they started kidnapping people from Marwari community selectively, we met with district police chief as well as Inspector General of Police. But the police has not been able to free the abductees or arrest the abductor. How can the country move ahead in this situation?" asked worried Dugar.
Pashupati Murarka, executive member of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), questioned how new industries can be set up to build the nation at a time when Marwari community were being victimised. Marwari is a leading business community of the country.
With the increase of incidents of kidnapping for ransom, many people of the community have even stopped going on 'morning walks.'
Dugar added that since police became unable to nab the culprits, the community has stopped complaining to the police and were handling the matters themselves.
However, commissioner of Metropolitan Police Office AIGP Deepak Thangden said that the police did not get cooperation from victim's families. "We are unable to receive cooperation from family of victims. They just put down the phone asking us not to poke our noses in the affairs and saying they will handle it themselves," he said.
The daily also quotes a Marwari businessman recently freed by abductors as claiming that the kidnappers usually keep victims in Koteshwore and Sinamangal areas and free them after getting ransom money.
On the other hand, Superintendent of Police at Crime Investigation Department of MPO Keshav Adhikary claimed that this year they only received 14 complaints of kidnapping. "We received none of the complaints of those 20 in the past two weeks," he said.
Police estimates that criminals might have collected as much as Rs 500 million in the last six months through kidnapping and extortion. nepalnews.com sd Apr 06 07

NEWS FROM NEPAL

COPIED FROM NEPAL NEWS
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