The 3AM Scroll: How the Anticipation Trap Killed My Sleep (And What I’m Doing About It)

The Night I Broke All My Rules

I had been working on this post for my blog for a few hours. The kids came back from school, so I dealt with that — homework, dinner, the usual chaos. But I was keen to get the blog post up. So I carried on working on it after the kids were asleep.

The post went up late at night. I then caught up with some social sharing — LinkedIn, a few groups, the usual places. I knew it was getting late and knew I had to get off the computer.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I went on my tablet to track the analytics, even though I knew it was likely not many people would read the post. I kept refreshing the screen. Logically I knew this would achieve nothing, but I kept at it anyway.

Eventually I got off the tablet and tried to take my mind off the blog by reading my current story book The Obelisk Gate. I went to bed a little bit later than usual, but my mind was still buzzing about the blog and the adrenaline.

I wasn’t able to settle down. I finally got to sleep, but then woke at 01:00. I couldn’t get back to sleep and at around 02:00 I broke all my rules and was on my phone — which was in the kitchen — to check the blog analytics. No surprise, it only had a few clicks.

Next thing I know it’s 05:00 and the kids would be up in an hour. I had been mindlessly scrolling the likes of Reddit, the internet and Threads for three hours.

The Struggle the Next Day

Unsurprisingly, the following day was a struggle. I couldn’t focus properly, but I couldn’t just nap, even though I’m not working at the moment, as there were still things that needed to be done.

It turns out what I experienced has a name. It’s called the anticipation trap, and it’s quite common for writers and creators (not that I claim to be either, but I have done research on the anticipation trap since).

I should also say, because I’m not working, I’m lucky that the pressures are less. If I was working in a similar situation, a night without sleep would be a lot harder. This actually happened in my previous job. I was working on something late, sent it out, and kept on waiting for a response (which I knew probably wouldn’t come until the next morning) but couldn’t sleep, and then had a full day of work the next day. That was brutal.

What Happens When You Don’t Get Proper Sleep

Sleep deprivation isn’t just about feeling tired. It impacts cognitive function, decision-making, memory consolidation and emotional regulation. Harvard Medical School research shows that sleep and mental health are closely connected — sleep deprivation affects mood, increases anxiety and reduces your ability to handle stress.

The Sleep Foundation notes that quality sleep helps with memory, learning, creativity and problem-solving — all things I need for both job searching and writing.

In short, losing sleep over blog analytics is not just unproductive — it’s actively harmful.

Understanding the Anticipation Trap

I have now learnt that the anticipation trap is a psychological loop where you publish something — a blog post, a LinkedIn article, a social media update — and then compulsively check for feedback. You’re not checking because you expect a flood of engagement; you’re checking because your brain craves the possibility of it.

This behaviour is driven by variable reward schedules, the same mechanism that makes slot machines addictive. Each time you refresh, there’s a chance — however small — that you’ll see a like, a comment, a share. That tiny dopamine hit keeps you coming back, even when logic tells you nothing will have changed in the last two minutes.

Psychology Today describes this as “notification addiction” — our brains are wired to seek social validation, and digital platforms exploit that wiring brilliantly.

For creators and writers, the trap is even worse because you’ve just invested hours into something personal. The emotional stakes are high. You want to know: Did it land? Did anyone care?

But here’s the problem: checking at 02:00 doesn’t change the outcome. It just ruins your sleep.

The New Rule: Write at Night, Publish in the Light

I have learnt my lesson. Here is what I am going to do differently.

Job search takes priority, so blog writing happens when I have free time. This will normally be in the evening.

Regardless of that, the writing can happen in the evening, and even the editing and finalising. But the publishing will only occur the next day, during daytime, and ideally in the morning, along with the social sharing.

This way I can deal with the anticipation trap during the daytime, and the urge will hopefully be limited because I have to deal with other stuff during the day — applications, networking, interviews, life admin.

The Publish Delay Protocol

Here is the simple system I’m implementing:

Why This Works

Separation of creation and distribution. By splitting the two activities across different days, you remove the emotional charge from the publish moment. It becomes administrative rather than climactic.

Daytime distraction. When you publish in the morning, you have meetings, emails, job applications and other priorities competing for your attention. The blog is just one item on the list, not the only thing on your mind at 02:00.

Better sleep hygiene. Keeping screens out of the bedroom and sticking to a cut-off time protects your circadian rhythm. The Sleep Foundation emphasises that consistent sleep schedules improve overall sleep quality.

Reduced regret. You won’t wake up at 05:00 realising you’ve just wasted three hours scrolling Reddit. That alone is worth the rule change.

Final Thoughts

The anticipation trap is real, and if you’re a writer or creator working late into the night, you’ve probably felt it. The urge to check, refresh, validate — it’s powerful, and it doesn’t care about your sleep schedule.

But here’s the thing: you can write at night and still protect your rest. You just need to delay the publish button until the morning.

It’s a small change, but it breaks the cycle. Write in the evening when the house is quiet. Publish in the morning when the world is awake and you have other things to do.

I’m committing to this new rule. If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling at 03:00 after hitting publish, maybe you should too.

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