So, lately I’ve been hanging out with a lot of startup founders. (Big surprise, right?) One thing I’ve noticed is a cycle of crazy manic work work work time, followed by a period of almost debilitating illness. When I try to offer a bit of startup advice and I say, “Hey, maybe you should give your body a break and rest a little,” they insist that it’s not the lack of sleep that’s doing them in.
Sound familiar, startup founder reader? I’m gonna guess that you’ve said something similar to someone who cares about you (mom, girlfriend, best friend, boyfriend, whatever) since you started on this epic adventure of trying to make something out of nothing. You all think you’ve got it all down pat and that somehow you’re outside the rules of nature but I’ve got news for you: YOU’RE NOT.
Now that we’ve made that clear, let’s take a look at three nasty sleep cycles that you need to break, yesterday.
1. Disconnect!
I don’t care if it’s your alarm clock; take your phone off the bedside table. You know you can’t resist the temptation to check it every five seconds to see if someone sent you an email or to check how your server is running or even just to make a note. If an idea suddenly pops into your head, have a notebook handy. Just because you have an app for everything does not mean you have to use it for everything.
You really don’t need to be connected 24/7 and the constant beeping and ringing and notifying is keeping your bedroom from being a peaceful place.
2. Work hard, party hard
I totally, totally get why this is a problem for so many of you. You work your asses off during the week and want to party hard on the weekends. The things is, you’re totally messing up your circadian rhythm, and slamming your body with massive amounts of poisons that will take days to get rid of.
Instead of staying up all night and drinking everything in sight on Friday and Saturday, why not work some down time into your week? Understand that your best work happens when your body is well rested and you won’t have to take time off when you get sick.
This goes for all-nighters too, friends. Pulling one every once in awhile is fine (I know that sometimes shit comes up out of nowhere and you have to deal with it right way) but having that be a regular part of your schedule is a no-no. Your body. Needs. Rhythm.
Give it what it needs.
3. Take a break before bed.
This goes along with the no phones in bed rule: no more laptops in bed and no more going right from the screen to the pillow. Your mind needs time to wind down after going at hyper speed all day. Have a glass of wine, watch some crap TV show, make dinner for your roommates. Give your brain a break and it will work better in the morning.
I promise.
Photo Credits
graur codrin | Stuart Miles | FreeDigitalPhotos.net
