We live in an environment which we possibly can’t keep up with anymore. Between the different roles we take on in one day, daily decisions, responsibilities and goals we work towards, and never mind relaxing time, it’s no wonder that more and more people are struggling to get a good night’s rest. We might like to think that sleeping less doesn’t impact our productivity, but nothing could be further from the truth.
If you want to increase your productivity, but you are actually surviving on minimal sleep, you are playing a losing game. Sleep is a key ingredient in being more productive. You cannot expect to drag yourself out of bed half exhausted and perform your best that day. If you have never read up on the importance of sleep and why it essential, my invitation is to do that right now and get clear on why sleep is a must, not a nice to have.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of ‘impatience’ as an entrepreneur, we want everything to happen now – and nothing happens fast enough. This leads to anxiety, to stress and this impacts our sleep directly.
Let’s say you are a business owner or entrepreneur, peak performance is key to taking your business to the next level and catapulting your success. Does it make sense that if I want to be on top of my game, I can ignore my sleeping patterns and hours? It’s crazy, here is what happens to your productivity when you don’t get enough sleep.
1. Of course you are going to be more prone to making more errors with less sleep – how does it support your success if you make silly mistakes because your mind simply cannot focus? Your memory is not working at it’s optimal, this will also add to making mistakes, forgetting tasks, wasting money and time. It doesn’t sound productive to me.
2. On top of having to push yourself to focus more when you are tired, you are also in a worse mood. No body sleeps less and wakes up with more energy and a better mood. You know what a person can get like without sleep – stay far away! There is nothing more unproductive than not managing your mood or emotions – especially as adults. Everything starts with how you feel, what actions you take that day, how you connect with people.
3. I have seen it too often to not mention – you will reach burn out if you don’t sleep. Your mind and body can only take too much – sleeping is what refuels your mind and body – without it, you will crash eventually. What would happen to your business and your personal life if you have a burnout? Is it really worth going through? Of course not!
I hope it is clear or clearer for you – why you need to get enough sleep. The next question is: what keeps YOU from getting a good night’s sleep?
You might need to shift your routine in the evening to get to bed sooner, or maybe you need to make bigger changes or decisions to get this time back – whatever you need to do – do it.
However, you might also find that you do go to bed on time, but you just can’t fall asleep. It can feel extremely frustrating when you just want to fall asleep but your mind won’t let you.
Our biology goes into survival mode, and this brings us anxiety. Some people live in this state most of the day! Try to relax, tell yourself everything will be ok (this sounds silly, but it works) – and your anxiety will lower in the moment.
Just like anxiety, when we have something on our mind that worries us, a long to do list, or what we have to do the next day, etc – a busy mind will keep you from getting those golden hours of sleep. Keep a journal next to your bed, to brain dump your worries onto paper and out of your mind. Then you can deal with that piece of paper the next day.
Or What else could you do to quieten your mind? What normally works well for you?
You might need to shift your routine in the evening to get to bed sooner, or maybe you need to make bigger changes or decisions such as investing in a supportive mattress or proper sleepwear, to get this time back – whatever you need to do – do it.
Read the tips above, try on your own and give yourself the gift of a good nights sleep to really get the most out of your day and life!
Go to sleep with satisfaction and wake up with determination!