The tricky part is deciding “which is which”
At certain times of the year, dawn and dusk look alike. Both have an atmosphere of chilly air and orange sky.
You can tell which is which pretty quickly, based on context clues, such as the number of people outside or if you turn on the TV.
Figuring out if it is dawn or dusk is an easy decision.
The difference between going to sleep and waking up is much harder.
Both feel the same. Everything is hazy. It feels slow. Your brain is still deciding to turn on certain things. Your faculties aren’t there, and you aren’t sharp.
It’s decision time:
If you want to wake up, you have to decide, now. Shall I leap or stay in bed?
Make the wrong decision, and it’s much harder to go back to sleep.
This choice is even harder to swallow when you have to wake up for something important. If you make the wrong decision, you “wasted” sleep. Your hunch was wrong, and you risk fatigue before your important event.
All based on the wrong hunch.
Most complex decisions model the second (falling asleep or waking up), rather than the first (dawn or dusk).
So, better train your hunch or set yourself up for success (multiple alarm clocks, wake up call, friend coming to pick you up) so that the hunch doesn’t matter.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 