Mullis: Sometimes Bears have to grin and bear it

My sister sent me a survey to determine my “chronotype,” which would reveal my most productive hours of the day.

“It only takes 45 seconds.”

I’m a sucker for these “know thyself” surveys, which is why I know I’m an Extroverted-Intuitive-Feeling-Perceiver according to the Myers-Briggs people, and a member of the Hufflepuff House according to the Harry Potter Sorting Hat.

Besides, I’m a freelance writer and knowing when the creative juices are at their peak would be life-changing. I mean, what if I'm cleaning the bathroom when I should be channeling Steinbeck?

The survey asked several questions which included when I felt tired (always), when I like to eat (always) and if I take naps (would, if I could). Then, it told me I was a Bear.

Roar.

Apparently, Bears have a high sleep drive, which means I function best with seven hours of sleep, plus afternoon naps. My prime working hours are between 9 a.m. and noon, which is also the best time to drink coffee. I should exercise later in the day when my brain turns off, which is also my best time to nap and/or have a beer. It even told me the best time to talk to my teenagers, which was around 10 p.m.

Interesting.

I haven't had seven hours of sleep since I was seven. I was a night owl during my college days, my children were night owls during their baby days, and now my teenagers are night owls with car keys. Plus, I have a puppy whose prime bathroom hours are 4:30 to 5:30 a.m.

Outside of that, however, I fit the Bear profile. I do work best in the mornings. I do drink the most coffee in the morning. I do prefer naps to exercise. And, although I do my best lecturing before noon, it may be beneficial to be half-asleep during teenager interaction time.

So, I restructured my day, determined to keep 9 a.m. to noon sacred. No dog walking, no editing, no errands of any kind, no phones calls, no teenagers – just me and the laptop.

My coffee and my brain were at my desk by 9 a.m. sharp. My production rose dramatically. It was a banner week.

Then, the weekend hit. My college kid came home, clearly sick. I went to the urgent care during Steinbeck Time. Then my youngest started looking peaky, knocking out Sunday’s prime hours. I went to bed late that night with a bad feeling.

Monday morning was a mess. I had a looming deadline, a sick-enough-to-miss-school kid, no more cough medicine, a sink full of possibly contagious dishes and an unwalked dog.  I knew the earliest I could get to my desk was noon.

Noon? I would be creatively brain-dead by noon!

I was more than grumpy. I was a grumpy bear on deadline standing in a pharmacy checkout line. And it was in that line that reality hit.

My most productive time is wherever I find it.

At one point, that was between 9 p.m. and midnight, because that’s when my toddlers were asleep. I’ve written in school pickup lines, during Dora the Explorer, between doubleheaders, and, once, outside a music professor’s office, waiting for my kid’s college audition to end.

Sometimes, I’m productive. Sometimes, I just grin and bear it.

Roar.

Nicole L.V. Mullis is the author of “A Teacher Named Faith”, now available as an ebook. She can be reached at nlvm.columns@gmail.com or www.NicoleLVMullis.com