Alternative Time Management, Part 1: The Importance of Sleep

Do It for Your Time Management

This first alternative time management advice is so ordinary that some might think it is naive: Sleep More!

“What is this?” you may ask. Well, yes, the advice is simple. But this does not make it trivial. In real, hectic life, it is very easy to neglect the importance of sleep. Maybe that is why it is so commonplace. According to numerous studies, the amount of chronically fatigued people in society is increasing. We are sleeping less and less. Busy professionals, young management consultants, and corporate warriors can easily end up with too little sleep during hectic projects. And yes, the same goes for families with small children.

Severe Loss of Productivity

I know for sure, that for me, neglecting sleep is the number one productivity killer. For an optimally productive day at work, I need about seven hours of quality sleep.  For some people the amount is less, for some more, but for me, it is seven. I also know that it is incredibly easy for me to end up with less sleep than what I need. The reason for this is very simple: there exists a lot of interesting things to do, and the amount of time is limited… I want to perform well at work, which often leads to extra hours at the office, despite skills in time management. At the same time, I have earlier also tried to fit in doing sports, hanging out with friends/girlfriend, watching television, and doing something with the computer (like adjusting this blog)… all during the same evening. This might have worked for a day or two, but it has also inevitably has led to severely less sleep, which eventually has taken its toll… and suddenly the end result has been an evenings of apathy, in order to balance it of.

So, it is without hesitation that I say that sleeping enough (= seven hours per night) is my number one method of productivity maintenance. I have to admit that it is only about 3 to 4 months ago that I really deeply have understood the value this brings me. Luckily, the effect is so obvious that I have no troubles with keeping up this new habit. I might not anymore try to do four different things during an evening. Still, this is not a loss, because focusing on less with a brighter and more creative mind, just produces more fruitful results.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch had an article a few years back, portraying six reasons to get enough sleep. The picture below illustrates them.

Six areas that get affected if you neglect the importance of sleep.

The picture above shows the different areas where sleeping enough will benefit you, or is just plain out necessary. Sleeping sufficiently will help you learn more efficiently, keep your weight under control, and give you the attention to operate safely in your environment. It will also help you to be less impatient and irritated. It benefits your heart, and it helps your body’s immune system to fight illness. Talking about illness, this is a thought that is really disturbing, now that it occurred to me: having an extra flu due to too little sleep. Being sick will without doubt make you lose numerous valuable hours that might take weeks or months to catch up even with the best medicine skills.

I can also relate to the safety point. I used to be in a position where I had to drive quite much with the car. During those years, I certainly experienced moments where I would have just wanted to start sleeping, while guiding a car 80 miles an hour. Those people, who drive more, know what I mean.

The Importance of Sleep: Summary

When you look at the picture above, and think about the importance of sleep for a while, the case is quite clear. Sleeping has a pretty decent return on investment.

Links:

• Harvard Health Publications: The Importance of Sleep
• emedicinehealth.com: Sleep: Understanding the Basics

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Tagged as: personal productivity, sleep, time management