Sleep to Leap
Miguel (my son) gets about 11 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period, nine hours at night and a two hour nap during the day. I am not suggesting by any means that you need 11 hours of sleep a day. In Googling to search for leadership and sleep you can find almost a half dozen articles on the topic. I contend that most leaders are not as effective without the proper sleep. Do you tend to ignore exhaustion? Do you say that you thrive under pressure, always working with tight deadlines? Sound familiar? If so, then this a great reminder for you to be more mindful when it comes to getting the proper amount of sleep for yourself. Arianna Huffington of the Huffinton Post even has two nap rooms at the office called Napquest1 and Napquest2. The National Sleep Foundation says that sleeping between seven and nine hours supports a “happy productive life.” A study at the University of Luebeck in Germany found “something occurs in the brain during the eight-hour sleep cycle that stimulates creative thinking.” I know getting enough sleep is a challenge with a little one/s in the house. My recommendation is get to bed as early as you can. If your children wake up at night, at least you got a few good hours in before they woke. If all goes well, then you and your partner can get up early together and have a leisurely breakfast, or go for a morning run or walk together. Your leadership starts from inside, and a key to productivity is consistent sleep, so sleep to leap to the top group of effective leaders!
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