Ultimate Productivity
Sleep if You Want to be Productive
By Claudine Motto
One of the best things about owning your own business is the freedom to work when you want. What comes along with that freedom, though, is the necessity to create routines for yourself that are good for you and leave you feeling refreshed, alert, and ready to take on the day.
This isn’t as easy as it sounds. When we feel busy, the healthy routines are usually the first ones we want to let go of – we put taking care of ourselves and our bodies way down on the priority list. Aside from exercise, one of the first things to go is sleep. It may not seem like a big deal, but it is – according to the National Sleep Foundation, not sleeping enough has a negative effect on your health, and on your ability to pay attention and remember information – both crucial to your productivity.
If you’re anything like me and many of the business owners I work with, our ears perk up when we hear something we’re doing or not doing has an effect on our ability to get work done. So if you’ve gotten into a nighttime routine that leaves you paying the price the next day, put these tips into effect to start making some changes:
1. Identify what you get out of staying up late. As much as you may say you want to change the habit, perhaps you’re resisting the change. You might feel it’s the only time you can decompress and enjoy some peace and quiet, or that you’re entitled to staying up late because you work hard during the day.
Whatever the reason is, brainstorm all the different ways you can fill that need in other ways – don’t censor yourself, even if it seems that some of your ideas would be difficult to make work. If for example, you think going to get a manicure or to the bookstore during the day would give you some of the peace and quiet you crave, don’t dismiss the idea just because you don’t have anyone to watch the phones, or the baby, or whatever it may be – there are solutions for that too, don’t give up on the idea without really looking into all the possibilities.
2. Start slow – go to bed just 30 minutes earlier than you did the night before, and adjust as you go, until you get to your optimum bed time. Changes don’t need to be drastic to make an impact.
And make sure to take a couple of minutes to acknowledge any changes you do make, and any improvement you see in your productivity and in how you feel – this is important to keep you motivated.
3. Cut down on mindless tasks at least an hour before you want to get to bed – think Twitter, Facebook, TV, e-mail – or anything else that ends up causing you hours of distraction. Giving yourself that hour to wind down disconnected before bed helps you stick to your plan.
And if you need hours just to catch up on your e-mail, or update your Facebook or Twitter pages, figure out if it’s that you’re lacking a system to deal with them effectively, or if you need to hire some help – there is only so much you can do all yourself – so choose wisely.
When you’re a business owner, taking care of yourself is as key as the most important project on your to-do list. Make the effort to create a routine that encourages you to get enough sleep so that you can have the energy you need to be able to think creatively, stay productive, and feel great.
2010 Claudine Motto, All Rights Reserved.
Productivity Coach and Professional Organizer Claudine Motto helps home office geniuses, entrepreneurs, and independent professionals get organized and in control of their workload so they can reach their goals with less struggle and less stress. She offers one-on-one coaching and group training programs – please visit http://www.vistalnorte.com or call 561-641-9500 for more information, to sign up for her monthly newsletter, or to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation.