We hear all the time how important sleep is for our health. But yet we still live in a culture that glorifies those who brag about only getting 5 hours of sleep. Nobody I work with ever considers a 20-minute nap after lunch even though it’s proven that a short rest can rejuvenate us for a much more productive afternoon.
Our sleep-deprived culture won’t change overnight, but as leaders, it’s important to understand the repercussions of continuing the bad habit.
Inadequate rest can make us stubborn. We are more prone to resist changing course even when pivoting may be in our best interest.
Sleep deprivation zaps our creativity. Have you ever been stuck on a seemingly impossible problem, only to wake up the next day and find the solution staring you in the face?
It’s happened to me countless times. I think back to my college nights spent at the library grinding through a homework problem until 2 in the morning. How I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to go to bed. I likely would have been able to solve the problem in half the time in the morning, and saved myself a night of frustration. It’s a perfect example of a lack of sleep breeding a lack of creativity and stubbornness.
A toddler cries when they get too tired. Adults are not much different. We too get frustrated and irritable more quickly when we lack sleep.
Frustration is like a virus that will spread quickly through the ranks if you’re not careful. It’s a leaders responsibility to maintain morale by example. This becomes increasingly difficult to do when you’re bone-tired.
We can’t change the culture. We can only change our own decisions and habits. Our behavior over time becomes the culture.
So stop being a sleepless hero. Guard your time and budget enough sleep each night. Your best work depends on it.
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