When I entered my baccalaureate studies years ago, my mother sent me off to school with an old-fashioned hammer and bell alarm clock so I would not miss those oh-so-important 8:00 am classes.

After about a week, the clock lay on a heap on the floor as the bell on the alarm would send me up flying, and then furious, I would throw it across the room. Only so many tosses can keep a clock together, I find. Nonetheless, I still had 8:00 am classes.

So, I taught myself that on the days I had 8:00 am classess (interestingly, not every day), to "remind" myself the night before that I needed to be up by 6:15 am, to dress, get down to breakfast, and then get to class. Every day that was needed, I woke exactly at 6:15 am. Other days, I slept in until 7:30 or later.

Nowadays, as a post-grad student, and working on my own and from home in most part, I could sleep in, as my "commute" to my office is literally a minute away. But I find I am an early-day person, and still get up early to put in a full day. But I haven't used an alarm clock since.

Thank you, adrenocorticotropin. You literally saved me all these years.

Katherine