Dad bod. Exhaustion and tiredness. Underperformance at work. Irritability. Feeling too tired to go out and socialise with mates, leading to isolation and cabin fever.
All of these outcomes can arise from being a new dad with a baby who regularly disturbs your sleep. These things might happen even with older kids who wake up with the sun and jump on your face in bed.
When it’s happening to you it’s easy to get worn down. Resistance and motivation fading with each passing day. Like a subject of interrogation, jolted from sleep a few hundred times until your nerves are completely frayed.
I’ve just read ‘Discipline Equals Freedom‘ by retired US Navy SEAL commander Jocko Willink, a writer and podcaster who commanded SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser during the Battle of Ramadi in the Iraq War.
“Don’t expect to be motivated every day to get out there and make things happen. You won’t be. Don’t count on motivation. Count on Discipline.”
Spurred into action, I’ve started waking early and exercising. While running this morning I realised what a powerful tactic this could be to combat the tiredness faced by new dads.
What if you could get ahead of the underslept cycle? How can you be underslept if you regularly wake up at 5:30am?
Willink is a bit of a maniac, implausibly driven and driving home a fixation on discipline that anyone can put into motion. It’s a mindset shared by many top performers in business, sports or indeed the military. Being up and putting in that early morning work gives one a psychological edge, knowing that your “enemy” is still sleeping.
Mike Tyson used to be out running at 4am to gain confidence ahead of a fight. He knew there was no way his opponent was doing the same.
You’ll gain a freedom from situations being imposed on you. A sense of being in charge of your life. All you need to do is wake up to that alarm clock. Get the hell out of bed and into motion.
Be up exercising for a solid hour to 90 minutes before coming home to prepare breakfast. Make life easier for your partner. Take that stress out of your household.
For example, if you’re in a scenario where you’re working business hours while your partner is home: When your baby wakes up, you can feed and change them and let your partner rest until you need to head off to work. Invaluable contribution right here. You’re father of the year.
This is about making a choice. I’ve always been a night owl used to sleeping after midnight or even 1am, watching Netflix or YouTube or reading. If this is you – you’re killing yourself.
Be disciplined. People generally need around seven to eight hours sleep, so if you’re waking up at 5:30am – be asleep by 10:30pm. All you have to lose is a lifestyle of exhaustion. Why not experiment?
