Speed Up by Slowing Down: Sleep Secrets to Boost Your Focus and Maximize Your Productivity (TPS214)

For many of the people we work with here at Asian Efficiency, the thing that is holding them back from reaching their full potential is simply the ability to focus free from distraction on the things that they already know are important. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do about those distractions – you can’t stop someone from barging into your office and derailing your day with an urgent project that wasn’t on your radar. But other times they are self-imposed obstacles that keep us from achieving the success we desire.

In today’s episode, we talk about one of the most effective strategies for boosting your focus and maximizing your productivity: getting enough sleep. We dive deep on what actually happens when your body sleeps and share 7 strategies to help you sleep more productively so you’re ready to hit the ground running and have a productive day once your feet hit the floor. We also share a couple of emergency strategies for when you know you didn’t sleep well but you need to push through and be productive anyway.

Thanks to Slack for supporting The Productivity Show. Learn more at Slack.com.

Cheat Sheet

• Why sleep is such a personal topic for both Thanh and Mike [2:23]
• How to use sleep as a focus and productivity booster [7:02]
• Why sleep deprivation is classified as a disease in the US [12:56]
• Side effects from not getting enough sleep [14:59]
• How sleep works from a scientific perspective [29:50]
• 7 tips for maximizing your sleep [36:42]
• Why you absolutely should not work in your bedroom [43:11]
• Preparing for restful sleep and creating an evening ritual [53:09]
• Why a colder bedroom helps you get better sleep [1:01:50]
• Why you need to minimize stimulants like caffeine and working out later in the day [1:07:03]
• What you can do if you didn’t get enough sleep and you need to power through the next day [1:12:24]
• Why “eating your frog” is even more important when you don’t sleep well [1:18:06]
• Action items you can take today to get better sleep [1:22:29]

Links

• The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time
• The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
• Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction
• Focus Tips From the Most Productive Man You’d Ever Hope to Meet w/ Chris Bailey (TPS213)
• CDC: “1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep”
• Sleep Cycle
• Oura Ring
• Bedphones
• Flux
• Gunnar glasses
• Hue lights
• Sleepyhead: The Neuroscience of a Good Night’s Rest
• Meditation for the Rest of Us: 10 Surprising Benefits from Making Mindfulness a Habit (TPS210)

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