Interim Order on Alarm Distance Strategy
A counterfactual review of what would have occurred had the person not moved the alarm to the far side of the room.
What Would Have Happened If the Alarm Had Stayed on the Nightstand
The alarm would have sounded at the designated time. The subject, in reach of the alarm, would have silenced it. This would have taken three seconds. The subject would have returned to sleep.
This is the scenario the alarm distance strategy was designed to prevent.
The strategy was devised by the bedtime version of the subject, who assessed the morning version as unreliable and took corrective action. The alarm was moved. This was a preemptive intervention by one version of a person against their own future behavior.
What Happened Instead
The alarm sounded. The subject was required to cross the room to silence it. The crossing of the room produced wakefulness. The wakefulness was the objective. The wakefulness was also resented.
This resentment was not anticipated by the bedtime version of the subject, who had correctly identified the problem but had not modeled the subjective experience of the solution with full accuracy.
The Adjustment
Someone makes one minor adjustment for alarm distance strategy. The adjustment becomes part of the expected sequence. The adjustment is: the subject now spends a moment before sleep calculating whether tonight's version of themselves is the type to follow through on the crossing-the-room plan or whether the plan requires additional enforcement, such as placing an object on the floor between the bed and the alarm.
The enforcement mechanism adds time to every repeat.
Governing Rule
Under the governing rule, correcting alarm distance strategy requires more authority than repeating it. The bedtime version of the subject is the only party with the authority to change the arrangement. The morning version lacks both access to the decision point and interest in revisiting the question.
The alarm distance strategy remains in place. The bedtime version of this person and the morning version of this person have different preferences, and only one of them got to make the decision.
This is the condition the interim order addresses. No resolution is pending.