GSD:2021 Productivity & Sleep

Get Shit Done in 2021, Part 1

Sleep your way to the top.

If you've seen my Instagram posts, you know I don’t mean it *like that*.  What I mean is-  healthy sleep might be the only thing standing between you and your 2021 goals of success—that big promotion, the next tier of personal growth, or big financial gain. It sounds dramatic, I get it. But I'm not just talking about you yawning at your desk, wishing Monday was Friday. I mean that sleep can improve your learning and understanding, and help you to work more efficiently with others.

Deep, "slow wave sleep" may be important for consolidating facts, while REM sleep helps your brain process and maintain procedural and experiential memories. Studies show up to a 40% deficit in the ability of sleep deprived people to create and retain new memories.

Think about it - how much more info could you learn and recall in that big meeting if you prioritized sleep beforehand?

Zeke Medina PhD loved this message onour Instagram. He commented that improved deep and REM Sleep lead to better memory and more effective critical thinking!

It doesn't stop with better recall of facts and information. Sleep can also impact the way you understand and interact with other people.  Healthy REM sleep helps us to fine-tune our empathy and improves one’s ability to read facial expression. You’re better able to read the facial expressions and emotions of others, and react appropriately.  Without it, your brain has trouble noticing the difference between anger and disappointment, concern and curiosity. The awareness of these subtle emotional expressions can have a significant impact in critical social and business interactions.

Deep sleep and REM sleep also ensure that our amygdala (the emotional center of the brain) and pre-frontal cortex (the decision-making part of the brain) are communicating. You want these areas of your brain to talk, because you want a little control over your emotional reactions in the workplace, am I right?

Would you be a better leader if you were more empathetic towards with your team?

How could you prove to a client that you understand their needs, if you're not totally clear on their intentions?