Up at 3 

by Brigette Mashile 

It is 5 minutes to 3am and I’m up.  I have taken a shower; made tea and I am writing.  Not one thing seems wrong with all of it, I am happy in this moment. I have trained my brain to believe that somewhere in the world it is midday, and they are making lunch! The only reason it is night is because the sun is on the other side, so honestly it could be day here too now…no? Ok, fine, you may sleep but let me be.

I saw a meme a few weeks back and again this could explain what it is I am doing.  They termed it ‘revenge sleep procrastination’ or something like that.  Apparently, there’s people like me in other parts of the world! These people have more energy at bedtime and want to work once the world sleeps.  

“Revenge bedtime procrastination refers to a phenomenon in which people put off going to bed to engage in activities that they don’t have time for during the day. 1 It is a way of finding time for leisure and entertainment—at the expense of sleep.” – https://www.verywellmind.com – 6 October 2021

Many mothers came on to say that this is something they do too.  And I am with them.  People say strange things like, you should sleep when the baby sleeps, it’s a lie. I have never once slept when my daughter was sleeping, or at least for the duration she was sleeping.  Last night for example, I forced her to go to bed at 10pm, waited for the tantrum to end, then I fell asleep with her.  At exactly 1:30 am I’m up. I realize I haven’t showered, I haven’t had tea, I want chocolate, I want a cookie, oh hey let me check out that website about… etc, and so on and so on.

My daughter is not the only reason I am doing MY THINGS now though. Life in general during the day distracts me. It is just people ‘humaning’ the whole day in my space and time. At exactly 7am I will hear the shower go on, the door close, a toilet flush, birds birding, traffic trafficking….my goodness suddenly I’m awake by force. Then, everyone wakes up and suddenly it smells like coffee and bacon. Why are people not resting at 7am, what is this rush! 

You know what is also frustrating about humans awake at 7am…nothing is really operating. In most places you cannot order breakfast, I cannot go fabric shopping, I cannot even contact anyone about business. I have to waste time waiting until 9am! Imagine.  The world needs me awake at 7am but I must wait for everyone to get ready to start anything at all at 9am. So, I force myself to sleep, as long as my daughter is sleeping; this is the only time I attempt this lie. 

I should mention though that my ‘sleep revenge procrastination’ did not come with me becoming a mom.  It has always been like this.  I simply don’t sleep as the world sleeps.  It is a horrible pattern according to world standards.  If I go to bed at 10pm or prior, best believe I am awake at 1am for no reason at all.  My heaviest sleep is between 3am and 10am LOL! In my defence, I am highly productive between midday and midnight.  At these hours people are slowing down and preparing to rest.  Maybe I need everyone to rest to have all the energy I need.

I am not mad at the world for how it operates, as long as it lets me be.  Ok, wait, the having to wait for 9am drama everyday is annoying.  But I guess this is why diversity is a beautiful thing.  My assistant, Vanessa, comes to work at 7am and starts working immediately.  She says she’s more productive at those hours up to maybe 3pm.  I find her at work when I walk in at 10am, with coffee for both of us.  I have never attempted to change either of us, I prepare work at 11pm while she sleeps, and she completes it at 7am while I sleep.  

I am so happy that I have written a piece in 20 minutes, during the day I could never achieve this.  People are peopling during the day, every minute is either a call, a message, or an enquiry.  Hey Nat, I think this may be the trick for me to give you more pieces LOL.  I am about to watch a movie I don’t care for, just because during the day I cannot watch 1 episode of anything! Revenge I tell ya, revenge!

Brigette Mashile is the founder and creative force behind Roka Roko, a custom fashion design business based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company passionately delivers quality tailored and trendy fashion to make their customers happy, and specializes in styling women by creating unusual combinations with fabric, culture and style. Brigette has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Witwatersrand and a Fashion Diploma from Studio5 School of Fashion. She’s a former fashion buyer for a major retailer in South Africa, and an international direct selling company. She’s been passionate about fashion since the age of 10 and gained invaluable experience in the fashion world running informal fashion creation businesses until the day her own Roka Roko brand was born. Find out more by visiting the Roka Roko website www.rokaroko.co.za

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