Sleep ...huh ...yeah, What is it good for? Absolutely everything!
Sleep is the universal health care provider
I am fortunate in that I have relatively good sleep. I quickly fall asleep, and most nights, I sleep uninterrupted for 7-9 hours. Any disturbance to my nighttime routine can usually be traced back to eating rich food or drinking alcohol or caffeine too late in the day, which is largely avoidable. Many are not so fortunate.
In his book "Why We Sleep", Matthew Walker walks the reader through the relatively new science of sleep. One of four basic drivers in life (eat, drink, and reproduce are the others), it is only recently that scientists and doctors have been able to answer completely why we sleep. And boy, oh boy, don't we need that 8-hours of sleep every single night?
"The insidious impact of sleep loss runs deep. Every major system, tissue, and organ of your body suffers when sleep becomes short. No aspect of your health can retreat at the sign of sleep loss and escape unharmed. The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life."
Insufficient sleep not only damages our health but also systematically reduces
Creativity,
Intelligence,
Efficiency and effectiveness,
Emotional stability,
Sociability,
and honesty.
All values that we seek in our people and our teams. Sleep-deprived employees are not going to drive innovation and creativity in their work. The research as laid out in this book says that sleep-deprived employees may not only be less productive, and less creative but also less motivated and maybe even more unethical.
Cough, cough, ahem - perhaps this can be the death knell for the lingering strategy of having young investment bankers and lawyers routinely working all-nighters. At the very least, I strongly recommend reading the book and forming your own opinion, especially if you lead teams that work under intense pressure for prolonged periods and consequently require working extended stretches without adequate sleep.
There might be a better way.
📫 - Favourite quote
"The goal of media is to make every problem your problem."
Naval Ravikant - Entrepreneur and Investor
When I came across this quote, I immediately remembered the word Iatrogenics that Nassim Nicholas Taleb's book "Anti-fragile" introduced me to. In overly simplistic terms, it means "harm caused by the healer".
Consider the iatrogenics of media. Media companies (whatever their medium or platform) need to be filled every day with a set of "newsworthy" items, notably those gathering clicks and attention on other platforms. Whereas perhaps they should keep silent in the absence of news of significance, but that is not how they make money. Hence the media is guilty of increasing the noise-to-signal ratio - they are iatrogenic at times.
🧾 - An absorbing and insightful (short) read
In the Financial Times, Andrew Hill's column "Pulp non-fiction" on the WORST business books of the year is a must-read. Entirely fictional... Honest 🤣
The good news is that I have the cure... TIME. Find out more in my article from February 2021 on the topic "What to read when you don't have the time."
⚖ - Et cetera
Perhaps the following will provide insight and be of help with a problem you are currently facing:
Do you need a new perspective on a challenge you're struggling with?
Are you starting a new role and want to make a positive impact and quickly establish credibility?
My latest article is here - "Annual Reviews, Prior Year Reviews and Goal Setting."
The RYSE Journal - "A coach in your pocket."
All the best, until next month.
Rob