How to Prioritize Sleep and Become a Better Worker

When you’re in the throes of a busy work work, sleep is the easiest thing to give up. After all, there are deadlines that need to be met, meetings that need to be had, and loose ends that need to be wrapped up. It often seems like there are just not enough hours in the day.

Unfortunately, giving up sleep is only hurting you. Even just one night of lost sleep can negatively affect your workday in more ways than one. So the next time you think about pushing your bedtime later, remember the reality behind sleep: you need it! Just as much as food and water.

If you’re still feeling pressured to cut back on your precious snoozing time, recite these mantras to yourself:

1. Sleep is restorative. It’s no secret that those who are well rested can function better the next day. Deep sleep is important to many brain function including the ability to creatively problem solve and make decisions. If you want to be a better employee, you need to be well rested.
2. Quality is more important quantity. Working longer hours means that, yes, you will accomplish more on your to-do list. But the question is: will it be good work? Give yourself permission to close your laptop and go to bed (or to sleep in a little bit longer) knowing that you’ll be more productive once you return to work.
3. Caffeine cannot be my crutch. If you need caffeine to power through an additional nighttime work session…and then you need a cup again in the morning and again in the afternoon, that’s likely a sign that you need more sleep. And that’s not OK.

Image via julochka/Flickr.