How productive do you really feel after a poor nights sleep? Did that cup of coffee really help you feel better or do you just feel jittery? The sleep foundation found that many of us, around a third, get less sleep than we really need!
Here’s the facts.
The Sleep Foundation states that reduced sleep can lead to the functions of the brain becoming overworked and leave you feeling drained, impairing your thoughts, and reducing reaction times.
The Harvard Devision of Sleep Medicine writes that a lack of sleep can actually cause us to work more hours trying to finish everything and as a result, get less sleep the next night.
Take breaks
Giving yourself some time as a break can be a great way to recalibrate and check in with how you’re feeling. The University of Pittsburgh discusses the Pomodoro Technique where you work for 25 minutes and then take a short break. Then repeat as necessary. These breaks can be a great time to stretch, move around a little bit and be ready to keep going.
Practice delegation
Even Harvard admits that delegation can be a challenge to implement but is crucial for success. When we’re feeling tired, delegation can let us offload some of the workload and keep progress going. Then all you would need to do is double check that things are correct before moving forward! You might find that this is a task you want to delegate out in the future as well.
Set a hard stopping point for the day.
Don’t lose out on tomorrows productivity by letting today drag on too long! Setting a stop time and end of work routine can be helpful! For example you could hit your stop time for the day, list out what you think are going to be the top 3 priorities for tomorrow and then shut down the computer. Some other tips from the productivityzone.com include wrapping up your current task, cleaning up your digital workspace, and your physical workspace.
*Note, nothing in this article is meant to be medical diagnosis, suggestion, prescription, or advice nor should it be used as such. Seek qualified medical advice from trained physicians.
