Night owls give this impression to the family that they are the only hard working souls on this planet who sacrifice sleep for work....
TIGHT SPOT
Night is too short to be serious
Night owls give this impression to the family that they are the only hard working souls on this planet who sacrifice sleep for work.
In reality, work is just an excuse. Something like this happens every night: I make sure all books and notes are set up nicely, laptop is charged fully, and coffee is made ahead of time. And, I am determined to spend the night productively. But before I actually start working, I think of putting up my hair in a cute bun; and then after taking few harmless selfies, I turn on my laptop. The system takes few seconds to boot and during that time I can check my Instagram feed. 15 minutes have already passed so I think I should begin now. I open a document and realize I need to go to the loo. There, I check my hair in the mirror and realize the bun is too loose; I fix it. I remember I have work to do, but I think I should clean my room first. I get back to work and within half an hour start downloading songs on my phone because the internet is at its best speed.
In the morning, you wake up feeling guilty and miserable.
Last hope for procrastinators
In the end, everything comes down to one night. If you are habitual of staying up late, no planning or techniques would work to motivate you to work on your assignments and projects before time. Your mind knows you are going to get everything done in a single night before deadline. Nothing seems to work and no ideas make sense until the last possible night. Suddenly all instructions become crystal clear, resources open up on the internet including all the PDFs and e-Books you have been trying to download for ages, and mind-blowing ideas spring to mind; you wish you had started working earlier and you promise yourself not to procrastinate again, but then you never learn your lesson.
The sounds of silence
When it’s dead quiet, you can hear the constant whirring of the fridge, the whizzing of the fan, the tick-tock of the clock, the chirping of crickets, the squeaking of rats, and the thumping of your heart. Sometimes sounds can be unexpectedly loud and will make you wonder from where they come. At around four in the morning, I hear someone gurgling like a demon. And, quite recently, we could hear screeching sounds all night. We had to ask our neighbours if they were moving their furniture and they were like why would they do it in the middle of night.
Discover the unknown
Your sibling has been treating you like an insect lately, and you think you must teach them a lesson. What about discovering their secrets tonight? Check their phone, read their chats, see who they are friends with on Facebook. Search their handbag and check what mum’ s lost makeup is being taken to college every day. Search the closet to find out what trash has been bought with the extra money dad gives for the books. And, then everyday torture your sibling with “If you don’t make my bed, I will tell Dad you have been bunking classes” or “If you don’t iron my clothes, I will tell Mum you spend all the extra money on junk”.
You can stalk your friends on Facebook and see what places they have been to and how wealthy they have become - and feel jealous. Night owls also keep an eye on friends who are being indifferent and ignoring their messages by checking their activity on social media. Or if there is nothing to discover, just go to sleep.
Bright ideas in the dark
It’s only in the darkness you find solutions to your problems. For example, you figure out if you visit the Campus Library and go through more literature instead of just relying on material online; you can outperform other students in the Research class. Or if you go jogging in the morning, you can live a healthy life. Or a visit to the dentist in the coming week would put an end to your excruciating toothache. You finally understand your bright future is in your own hands. The night is now lit with your life-changing plans.
And when it’s the time to execute all your plans, you are catching up on sleep.
The unexpected guest
The night has been spent nicely but then suddenly there is a knock at the door. You know Anxiety is back again. “You must be missing me, my friend. Let’s talk about your fears!” Anxiety gives a devilish smile. “I am telling you the history assignment you have been putting off is going to suck blood out of your veins. You will never have enough money to buy a car. Your friends will make you a laughing stock and your relatives will annoy you with their taunts if they learn about your past. Exams are just around the corner and you haven’t studied a single thing. Admit it, you’re a failure!” After a nice chat, Anxiety leaves, but now you can’t sleep anymore. To snap out of the funk, you watch a senseless K-drama until you doze off.
The grumbling tummy
How do night owls survive when everybody on earth is sleeping? Of course, food keeps them awake all night! Heavy-duty tasks like watching a spine-chilling horror movie, playing a strenuous video game, or chatting with overly sensitive friends takes up tonnes of calories. One has to get up from bed several times to fuel the body. Generally, vegan owls munch on cucumbers and carrots; not-so-health-conscious desi owls eat anything available to them including leftovers; youthful owls prefer crisps and fancy coffees and teas. Also, night owls stock up on picnic food like fruit candies, chocolates, and a variety of boring biscuits to deal with minor hunger pangs. So yeah, nights can be heavy on the budget.
- S.G
