Welcome Professionals…
…deprivation of sleep is a common issue we are facing as consultants. It is not just a common complaint, it is a severe problem.
Your level of energy and even your happiness directly correlate with your sleep!
So, how can we sleep more and how can we sleep better? Let’s tackle these questions one by one.
The quantity of sleep is hard to control for us. As a top management consultant you will sleep less than most other people. I will not dig into the reasons for that, we all know them by experience. It is useless to complain about this issue and it is even self-destructive to boast with how little sleep you can do. Instead, get as much sleep as you possibly can. Trade low output times for sleep. Do not waste your time on low value activities. Low value is sitting in a team room at 2 a.m. between empty pizza boxes, squeezing the final bit out of your brain in order to produce another backup slide. Sleep is a high value acitivity compared to many other things. Use traveling times for sleeping and plan ahead for these occasions. Bring ear plugs and eye shades (and alarm clock) to enhance a good nap.
While quantity of sleep has its limitiations, you can typically have a good level of control over your quality of sleep. You want to make sure that you get the most out of it. There are some good guidelines for the top management consultant:
- Make a deliberate choice about your hotel maximizing sleep quality, not loyality points
- Do not eat anything 3 hours before you go to bed, so no more club sandwich at midnight
- No alcohol, also avoid energy drinks at least 3 hours before bedtime
- Screen work (and TV) keeps you awake, try to ramp down by reading a few pages in a book that is actually made out of paper
- Put a sheet of paper and pen next to your bed so that you can write down ideas and to-do-lists when they come up and easily forget about them again
- Wake up with a good song, giving you positive energy for the day
Good night for now and sleep tight!
Malte
Thursday Night Flight is brought to you by Malte Müller Professionals. Sharing best practices for top management consultants on topics like communication, client handling, problem solving, appearance, and fitness. Check out www.mm-professionals.com for more material and free resources!