Dear sunkissed readers!
As promised yesterday, here’s an overview of the daily challenge I’ll be working on in June.
This was partly prompted by mulling over a concept I think of as ‘biodynamic writing’.
This is a somewhat la-de-da term I’ve borrowed from agriculture, which revolves around planting and harvesting crops in conjunction with natural cycles, such as moon phases, etc.
The closer we approach the solstice, and the more the days expand, the earlier I am beginning to wake up, often to my irritation. If you haven’t heard of the concept of chronotypes before, it’s posited that in the range of human circadian rhythms there are three main types in relation to sleep patterns:
Larks - who naturally rise early, energised and ready to work, and prefer to go to sleep early
Owls - who naturally rise later and whose brains fire up to optimum capacity over the course of the morning, so they often work best later in the day/evening.
Inbetweeners, who are middle of the road
It’s considered that these preferences are hardwired and difficult to change permanently. As someone who has observed the grumpiness of Owls when forced to wake up too early, and the inability of Larks to remain sensible after their normal roosting time, I think there’s much to be said for understanding how you are wired and figuring out how best to work with it to remain productive and happy.1
I’m probably a middle-of-the-road chronotype who leans towards an Owl, but I can rise early when needed. I don’t usually suffer from the cognitive fog that many Owls feel in the morning, but through experimentation I’ve learned that I work best (writing-wise) later in the afternoon and evening. If forced, I can write in the morning, but it’s harder.
Yet, my Owl inclinations do not serve me well at this time of the year. And I’ve been wondering do these natural cycles affect my work and output? Should I adapt to the changing light levels of summer, autumn, winter and spring when figuring out my schedule? Do I become more of a Lark in summer and an Owl in winter? Do I work best in darkness or in light?
Thus, I’ve decided to get up early in June and see what happens when I work with the season, rather than resisting it. This does mean going to bed earlier if possible.2 One thing I’ve noticed over the years is how important true, deep, darkness is to sleeping well. And if I don’t sleep properly, I don’t write easily.
So each day in June I’ll be grounding myself in the here and now, this season and its forces, and paying attention to how I interact with the world.
And to get the ball rolling, to put a pin in my state, I’ll pull a card from one of the many, many tarot/oracle decks that I possess. I often use them as ways to brainstorm ideas or get insights into locked processes. They work well as a method of connecting to my internal sounding board.
This is how it will go:
Each day in June I will start a conversation in the Chat facility on Substack (it’s available on the web and in the app), which is only available to subscribers to Splinister.
I will take a picture of one of my cards and say a few things about how that day is beginning in my part of the world.
Later that day I will write a short report on how that first insight worked out (or not) as the day unfolded. I’ll post that observation in the Reading the Signs section of my Substack - remember to subscribe to it if you want to follow the challenge.
This should help me keep returning to observation mode, rather than rumination mode. Of course writers require much contemplation on their projects, but by this I mean the unhelpful rumination: where you churn through discordant or lazy thoughts.
I’m hoping it will help me pay attention by having a point of focus for the day.
But, let’s experiment!
I’m hoping some of you will join me in the Chat section, and try it out for yourself. What are your rhythms and how will your interpret your signs?
Of course life surprises, children, work, and health are just a few factors that can impact how we regulate our day, so it’s not always completely under our control.
When I was a child I remember being incensed that I was expected to stick to my normal bedtime during the summer when it remained light outside. I suspect that sense of being denied fun might have engrained in me a subconscious notion that staying up later was the hallmark of cool adult freedom and retiring early was the action of an obediant baby.
I'm an in-betweener who works best in the morning but has too much FOMO to go to bed early! Is there a chronotype for someone who wants to burn the candle at both ends with a siesta in between? 😆 Love your distinction between observation and rumination. I'm excited about this project!
Good morning! Today's chat thread has been started. If you are a subscriber of my newsletter you should be able to see it under the 'chat' section on the web site, or via the chat section on the Substack app (which I heartily recommend).
Please feel free to reply with your own 'signs' for the day.