The Value of a Good Night's Sleep

Operating a bath and kitchen showroom is not easy. There are constant demands and the fact for many is that the "to-do" list is never completely done. You put in long hours and the demands of your position likely come at the cost of a good night's sleep. What's the trade off? Research shows that when leaders trade sleep in order to work more, they become less effective, are more hostile, have less effective relationships with team members, are less likely to inspire others and experience declining engagement rates on the teams that they manage. When you are tired, you become more impulsive, less creative and innovative, and less likely to make the best decisions.

If you regularly put off sleep in order to accomplish one more task or cross another item off the "to-do" list, reconsider. Working 15 and 18 hour days might enable you to get more done, but it also will cause you to make more mistakes, which in turn will cause you to waste time making corrections (provided the mistakes are caught). The longer you work, the less productive you become. Most executives and leaders are more productive, creative and profitable if they dedicate their days to performing high-quality work instead of trying to get as much done as possible.

Caffeine is an effective barometer of your sleep needs. If you need to drink a pot of coffee every morning to prevent sluggishness, that raises a major red flag that you are not getting a sufficient among of sleep. The same warning signs flash if you need caffeine in the afternoon to make it through the end of the day.

Delegating some of your tasks to team members is another tool you should use to make sure you produce high quality work every day that does not compromise your ability and desire to get the proper amount of sleep each night.

Develop a plan when you intend to arrive at, and leave, the office every day and stick to it. Have a daily "to-do" list and prioritize your most important tasks. Recognize that on most days there likely will be items remaining on your list when you leave work. Ask yourself this question before making the decision to stay or leave, "If I don't finish this task before leaving, will my world come to an end?" Most likely the answer is no! Research shows that when highly productive leaders sleep well, they are more effective.