Sleep IoT Quest - Day 11 Progress Update
Day Summary
Right - bit of a struggle day. What happened? Yesterday I pretty much screwed up my sleep because I panic-researched on my laptop for the last hour and a half before bed: What options do I have? What is the contractual basis if the company I work for goes bankrupt? Panic and blue screens right before bed do not lend themselves to restful sleep. Despite the fact that I was basically falling asleep on my own before 6 p.m., I was unable to sleep for long and then woke up early.
This morning I continued - not quite panic-researching, but still researching in a more relaxed way - which hit my Timely Start protocol squarely in the nuts. Zero points for Timely Start today. I did execute; I made progress.
I accepted that 15 concepts - including structure and syntax—may be too much to do in one go, so I split it into two. I guess the chapter’s information density was just bigger than what my brain could handle, which is fine. If you feel overwhelmed and can’t really get started, it’s usually a sign you’re trying to bite off more than you can chew. Take a smaller bite; that usually takes care of it. It did in this case.
So, what can I say? Protect your sleep. Don’t replace your phone with your laptop. Don’t look at blue screens or research anything right before bed. And if it’s too big - chunk it down.
- Daily Quest: 90 minutes (completed).
- Reading: 0 minutes (all coding today).
- Coding focus: split the big enums/Option
/Match/ if-let/let-else kata into 2 chunks; coded the first half with scaffolding, then deleted and re-typed from memory. - Protocols: Timely Start = 0 (missed). Daily Quest = done, Phone lock @ 15:00 = done. Lights out 19:30 = planned.
- Big win: remembered more than yesterday; manageable scope restored momentum.
Context
- Last night: broke wind-down by researching contracts on the laptop (1.5h blue screen) → poor sleep (~6h).
- Morning: ruminated on unemployment/finances → missed timely start window.
- Still executed the 90-minute block and re-locked phone at 15:00 to protect tonight’s sleep.
Reading
- None today. Intentionally prioritized coding/retention work over consumption.
Coding Practice
- Decomposition: took the ~200-line enums kata and split it into 7 concept buckets.
- Scaffolding: left brief comments as structure prompts.
- Build → Nuke → Rebuild: implemented the first half, then deleted and recreated from memory to force recall.
- Scope: enums, variants,
Option, pattern matching (syntax + usage), with emphasis on retention over breadth.
Reflection
- Don’t replace phone with laptop. Evening stressors after cutoff destroy wind-down → sleep → next-day willpower.
- Chunking works. 15+ concurrent concepts overloaded working memory; 5–7 is sustainable.
- DQF saved the day. Even without a timely start, completing the 90m keeps the streak and prevents a zero-day.
Key Learning
- Evening hygiene: Phone lock at 15:00 is non-negotiable; laptop is not a loophole. Write a note, defer to morning.
- Working-memory limits: Design katas to fit ~7 items max; iterate through them sequentially.
Total Time Spent
- Reading: 0m
- Coding: 90m
- Daily total: 90m
PCT (Project Cumulative Time): 16h09m