Ep. 123 - Time Management: Why Sleep Is Your Productivity Superpower

Following the series on energy management, this episode launches our next focus on time management. We explore how sleep (or the lack of it) impacts our personal productivity as well as the neuro and biological science behind sleep's impact on our mood, focus, memory, and physical health. 

Transcript

Following the recent series on energy management, we’re now shifting to take a closer look at our personal productivity and the decisions, habits, and (yes) science that affects the ebbs and flows in our day. 

The bridge between energy and time management has a critical connection – and that is sleep. 

We can load up on tips and tricks and hacks and apps but if there isn’t a consistent, conscious effort to improve the quality of our sleep, the results will be superficial at most.

We go back to Episode 29 to share the highlights on the superpower of sleep. 

The Bottom Line on Top of this episode is that the sleep you skip today carries a cost your brain pays in the days ahead. 

Sleep is one of the most overlooked and underrated productivity hacks that we can take in our daily lives. Ironically, it’s also the most common thing that we trade in our pursuit of productivity. Early morning workouts and late-night emails and entertainment exact a mental payment that we have come due the next day (and the next day and the next day). 

In fact, a 2017 study showed a direct connection between sleep and our cognitive performance. Those researchers examined the sleep of 30,000 people over an 18-month period. They found that having two consecutive nights of less than six hours of sleep can leave you sluggish for up to six days. Six days! Is that extra Netflix episode really worth being sluggish for six days? 

And even staying up an extra hour, the study found, even if you follow it by a full night’s sleep, is still correlated with slower cognitive performance the following day. So it’s not just skipping sleep, even delaying sleep can have an impact. 

So why does this happen?

Sleep is the silent partner to your brain. It’s when memories are sorted and stored, it’s when stress is put on pause, and when your body reboots its internal operating system. 

Physically, studies are also exploring how the body filters toxins at a much faster rate when you sleep. Cognitively, though, our short-term memory takes an immediate hit when we get less sleep. There is also impact to storing longer-term memories because those neural connections get their strength while we’re snoozing. 

In short, it takes us longer to do tasks and we’re more likely to make mistakes or not even finish what we started just when we’re trying to trade a little bit of minutes for doing more. 

Less sleep can also affect your empathy. Research has shown that the social cognitive network of the brain is less active after you miss sleep. This can cause us to be slower in responding in social situations or even less inclined to offer help or support other people – and that includes supporting ourself. 

Missing sleep sets in motion the lack of motion for self-care, from skipping workouts or tackling tasks and delaying those until later and even making unhealthier choices as you are dealing with daily stressors. It all comes from that social network in the mind. 

Chronic lack of sleep is also a booming business industry. From teas to supplements to specialized mattresses and pillows, there is a product, a pitch, or a practice out there for you. Hotels are starting to market customized sleep packages for the weary wanderer – or even those right there in town. When it comes to shortcuts, it’s mostly marketing designed to tempt you to spend money for permission to sleep less. 

Pay attention to how long it takes you to fall asleep. The average amount of time is between 10-20 minutes. Any less or more than that is a signal that you might need some adjustments. 

The most common sleep disrupter is our beloved technology – from the blue light of the screens to the beeps and the buzzes, it takes a lot of effort for our brain to digitally decompress (about 30 minutes to decompress, in fact). 

So as you look to power up your productivity, spend more effort on how you power down. Your brain, your body, and tomorrow’s to-do list will thank you for it. 

Thanks for listening. I want to recognize that we can’t always control the time and quality of our sleep due to different life circumstances. If this episode hit home for you, check out Episode 99 which explores modern guidance for seven key forms of rest that can really help with overall wellbeing. 

And until next week, take good care – of you.