Learn Hardcore German: Die Zeitverschiebung macht es schwer, aber ich möchte meinen Schlafrhythmus trotzdem behalten. - The time difference makes it difficult, but I still want to keep my sleep rhythm.

this would sound like “The time difference is difficult/heavy” (as if the time difference itself is hard to deal with as an object or concept), which is unusual here.

The es in macht es schwer is a “dummy object” (similar to English “makes it hard” – it doesn’t refer to anything specific). A more explicit version would be:

Die Zeitverschiebung macht es schwer, meinen Schlafrhythmus zu behalten.
The time difference makes it hard to keep my sleep schedule.

What exactly does Zeitverschiebung mean, and why is it feminine (die)?

Zeitverschiebung literally means “time shift” or “time displacement.” In context, it’s the difference in local time between two places or caused by something like daylight savings or travel.

Zeit = time
Verschiebung = shift / displacement (from verschieben = to shift, to move)

Verschiebung is a feminine noun in German (die Verschiebung), so the compound noun Zeitverschiebung is also feminine:

die Zeitverschiebung (nominative singular)

That’s why the sentence starts with Die Zeitverschiebung and not Der or Das Zeitverschiebung.

Why is it meinen Schlafrhythmus and not mein Schlafrhythmus?

Schlafrhythmus is masculine in German:

der Schlafrhythmus (nominative singular)

In the sentence:

ich möchte meinen Schlafrhythmus trotzdem behalten

Schlafrhythmus is the direct object of behalten, so it’s in the accusative case.
Masculine accusative mein → meinen:

Nominative: mein Schlafrhythmus
Accusative: meinen Schlafrhythmus

So meinen shows both possession (my) and accusative case (direct object).

What does Schlafrhythmus mean exactly? Is it like “sleep schedule”?

Schlafrhythmus literally means “sleep rhythm.”
In everyday English, it’s usually closest to “sleep pattern” or “sleep schedule.”

It refers to:

when you usually go to sleep and wake up
the regularity and timing of your sleep
your internal body clock’s pattern

So:

meinen Schlafrhythmus behalten ≈ to keep my sleep schedule / stick to my sleep pattern

What does trotzdem mean here, and how does it relate to aber?

In this sentence you have both:

aber = but
trotzdem = nevertheless / anyway / in spite of that

The logic:

Die Zeitverschiebung macht es schwer
The time difference makes it hard.
aber … trotzdem …
but … nevertheless …

So:

aber ich möchte meinen Schlafrhythmus trotzdem behalten
= but I still want to keep my sleep schedule anyway.

Aber connects the two clauses and introduces a contrast.
Trotzdem says “even though that’s the case / in spite of that.”

You could rephrase:

Die Zeitverschiebung macht es schwer, trotzdem möchte ich meinen Schlafrhythmus behalten.
(Here trotzdem would stand in the first position of the second clause and cause inversion: möchte ich.)

Why is trotzdem in the middle of the clause and not at the beginning, like “Trotzdem möchte ich …”?

Both positions are grammatically fine, but they sound slightly different:

… aber ich möchte meinen Schlafrhythmus trotzdem behalten.
- trotzdem is in the “mid-field” before the main verb at the end.
- Very natural, somewhat neutral emphasis.
… aber trotzdem möchte ich meinen Schlafrhythmus behalten.
- trotzdem is in position 1 of the clause (after the comma).
- Then the verb (möchte) must be in position 2: trotzdem möchte ich…
- This often puts a bit more emphasis on “nevertheless”.

Both mean: “…but I (still / nevertheless) want to keep my sleep schedule.”
The original sentence simply chooses the mid-field position, which is very common in speech.

Why is there a comma before aber?

The comma is there because aber is connecting two independent main clauses:

Die Zeitverschiebung macht es schwer
ich möchte meinen Schlafrhythmus trotzdem behalten

In modern German punctuation, when aber connects two full clauses (each with its own subject and verb), you must put a comma:

…, aber …

If aber is used inside a single clause (e.g. contrasting words or phrases, not whole clauses), the comma rules are different, but here it clearly links two full sentences, so the comma is obligatory.

Why does the sentence use möchte instead of will?

Both möchte and will can translate to “want”, but they differ in tone:

möchte (Konjunktiv II of mögen)
- Politer, softer, more tentative
- Often like “I would like to …”
will (from wollen)
- Stronger, more direct, can sound more determined or even pushy in some contexts

Here, ich möchte meinen Schlafrhythmus trotzdem behalten sounds like:

I’d like to keep my sleep schedule anyway. (neutral, not aggressive)

Ich will meinen Schlafrhythmus trotzdem behalten would sound more like:

I insist on keeping my sleep schedule anyway / I really want to keep it.

For personal wishes and preferences, möchte is very common and sounds polite and natural.

What’s the difference between behalten and something like beibehalten or halten here?

In this context:

behalten = to keep, to not give up, to retain
- meinen Schlafrhythmus behalten = keep my sleep pattern as it is.
beibehalten = to continue to keep, to maintain (an existing state)
- meinen Schlafrhythmus beibehalten
  sounds a bit more formal / explicit: to maintain my sleep pattern.
halten alone usually doesn’t work with Schlafrhythmus this way:
- einen Termin einhalten (keep an appointment)
- But meinen Schlafrhythmus halten is unusual; behalten or beibehalten are idiomatic.

In everyday speech, behalten here is very natural and completely correct.

Could the sentence be reordered to “Die Zeitverschiebung macht es schwer, aber trotzdem möchte ich meinen Schlafrhythmus behalten.”? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, that version is grammatically correct and very natural:

Die Zeitverschiebung macht es schwer, aber trotzdem möchte ich meinen Schlafrhythmus behalten.

Meaning: the same: The time difference makes it hard, but I still want to keep my sleep schedule.

The difference is just emphasis and rhythm:

Original: … aber ich möchte meinen Schlafrhythmus trotzdem behalten.
- Slightly more neutral; trotzdem is tucked into the middle.
Alternative: … aber trotzdem möchte ich meinen Schlafrhythmus behalten.
- Puts stronger emphasis on trotzdem (“nevertheless!”).
- Feels a bit more contrastive: “but nevertheless I want to…”

Both are idiomatic; choosing one is mostly about style and what you want to emphasize.