This morning I read Michael Hyatt’s blog on Why People Who Sleep Longer Achieve More and then Andy Traub sent me a link to Saturday’s New York Times piece on Why You Hate Work. Both pieces talk about us being too tired to do our best work.
It seems we’ve become so enamored with “doing” more that we are sabotaging our ability to 
do anything well. Michael says: “Cheating our sleep is like maxing our credit cards. There’s a benefit now—at least, it feels like it—but the bill always comes due in the form of decreased health and mental ability. No one would choose to be sick and stupid, but depriving our bodies of sleep is the same thing. Robbing our sleep is robbing our productivity.”
And here’s the essential take-away from the New York Times article: “Employees who take a break every 90 minutes report a 30 percent higher level of focus than those who take no breaks or just one during the day. They also report a nearly 50 percent greater capacity to think creatively and a 46 percent higher level of health and well-being. The more hours people work beyond 40 — and the more continuously they work — the worse they feel, and the less engaged they become. By contrast, feeling encouraged by one’s supervisor to take breaks increases by nearly 100 percent people’s likelihood to stay with any given company, and also doubles their sense of health and well-being.”
Henry Ford once said he didn’t want executives who had to work all the time. He insisted that those who were always in a flurry of activity at their desks were not being the most productive. He wanted people who would clear their desks, prop their feet up and dream some fresh dreams. His philosophy was that only he who has the luxury of time can originate a creative thought.
Wow! When’s the last time your boss told you to quit working and do more dreaming? Unfortunately, our culture glamorizes being under time pressure. Having too much to do with too little time is a badge of “success.” Or is it?
It’s a rare day that I miss taking a 30-min nap – sometimes two. Just yesterday I was telling my son that sometimes when working on a project I feel like my brain is full of molasses. I may be struggling to get just the right wording or metaphor to convey my thought. At that point I go grab a nap – completely laid out for a deep but brief sleep. When I awake I almost without exception can pick right up and have the clarity I was looking for.
So what do you do to take breaks and keep yourself sharp, creative and productive?
I am fortunate enough to work from home and I do utilize the afternoon nap system. I call it my “3:00” and schedule it on my calendar. If I don’t take it, my concentration and productivity is shot the rest of the day.
I don’t work in an environment where I can take an afternoon nap, but I am going to implement a short break every 90 minutes and see if that improves my productivity. Thanks for sharing Dan!
I think this can even be applied to those of us who work from home. We always try to power through but the breaks could help us be more creative.
Kimanzi,
I hear so many people talk about “powering through” those times when they can hardly hold their head up – and I’m thinking you gotta be kidding me. Why would you do that and thereby diminish your creativity and effectiveness for the rest of the day??
I’ve been there Dan but I’ve learned 🙂
I have seen how napping increases productivity during tough projects. Like one of the others that commented, I’m not always in a workday where I can take a nap. But I’ll see what can be done. Overall productivity is what I need the improvement in. This article just reminds me that sleep is just as important as being awake.
We live in a culture of burnout. It’s become the norm in much of corporate society and even outside of work. Dan, thanks to you and Kent Julian, I’ve started a website, burnoutsucks.com, and I’m writing the book about how to beat burnout and “be wildly creative and live to enjoy it!” But it won’t just happen. We MUST be intentional and value our own creative potential enough to make good choices. Getting enough rest is one of those good choices!
Jim,
Oh that’s awesome. I love your focus and book title. Keep us posted and we’ll help spread the word when you’ve got it ready to go.
Thank you Dan! I’ll do that!
I use a pomodoro app that gives you a 5 minute break every 25 minutes with a longer break after a series of 4-25 minute/5 minute sessions. I find I’m more productive in each of those 25 minutes than I would otherwise have been and it definitely helps when trying to start a large task that can seem daunting, or one I’m reluctant to start. Whether it’s a business-related task or simply cleaning the house, it’s broken down into manageable chunks and I’m able to get started.
I think this is exceptional, it’s a simple concept, but it’s so neglected. It’s the same reason children are given certain amounts of nap time in school as they grow up. If the children don’t take naps they have no chance of focusing on anything. You are exactly right, in the typical work force working the most hours means you are the most effective at your job. It’s presented the same way in the Army. Twelve hour days are the baseline for us because we begin physical training at 6 am and rarely do I leave work before 6 pm (but rarely do I let myself stay after that either) and there are plenty of people who work until 8 or 9 at night, but yet they still feel as if they are always behind. It’s because they don’t accomplish nearly as much in a typical hour as they should.
Great post, right on point.
Taking a daily 20-30 minute nap is golden. It’s something I try to practice everyday. It helps with my focus and greater clarity. The challenge is not hitting that snooze button over and over again! When you love what you do (and I absolutely love what I do as a Leadership Coach and Purpose Strategist) it empowers you to wake up from that nap charged and ready to go.
There’s no doubt that napping is beneficial to many people. But for me personally, it has never worked. i wake up feeling worse. If I get bogged down I would rather just switch activities or walk around for a change of scenery and mental relaxation.
I’ve been able to incorporate “play time” into my work time even though I’m still a cubicle-dweller – and I get paid for it. Our company has always provided an incentive for keeping fit, so I use my lunch hour to work out at the company-approved gym. When I come back, I can focus on what is a pretty meaningless and repetitive set of tasks much better. My pattern has been so successful (or created so much envy) that the company’s “wellness committee” has now adopted a similar plan and formed a walking group at lunch for everyone who chooses to participate. One final benefit – the workout relieves any anxiety so by 9 pm I’m ready to sleep – without pills or alcohol – and I get 8 good hours.
That sounds great. It’s wonderful to see more and more companies recognizing the power of energized and rested workers. Keep leading the way!
Dan, I am so drained after my 9-5 corporate gig that coming home to work on my own business just doesn’t work well. I have found that laying on the sofa for a bit and allowing the turmoil of my day job to subside gives me energy and focus to be more productive in the evening. Plus, the bonus is there are no interruptions at home. At work I rarely have more than 20-30minutes w/o an interruption. It totally kills focus and ultimately drives down my productivity. Yeah for naps!
William – I think it’s like this:
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln
Taking a nap or just being well rested is like having a sharp axe to work with.