A simple way to boost your productivity that you can do everyday

I often complain about not being able to fulfill everything I want to do. Does it also happen to you?

Part of it comes from the fact that I want to do too many things and my goals are not realistic, so often I have to review them. I very often have the wrong idea that if I steel some minutes or even hours to my sleep I will catch up with my tasks and be more relaxed the day after… Guess what? … in the long run I am…..WRONG.

The truth of what losing sleeps does to our mind.

We are put to sleep mainly by two hormones: adenosine and melatonin. They relax our muscles, slow body functions and induce the non-rem sleep.

Although not fully known, sleep is not a passive activity, we are fully active, although not conscious of it. Some recent theories propose that sleep is not meant mainly to restore the body but to clean and organize the content of our mind. If we do not sleep for a time that is OK with us (notice that I am not talking about a certain amount of hours) our brain will not have the time to get clean and tidy and information will not be so easily at our disposal hindering our creativity and productivity.

How to rest: I know that you know how to do it, but a few hints might help

1- If you belong to the mortal race, you cannot keep your concentration forever. It is said that we can keep our concentration for more or less 45 minutes. Take a break after those 45 minutes. Set your alarm or do it randomly, but allow some 5 minutes with your eyes closed and let your mind wander. If you cannot do it at your working place …. simply go to the restroom …. they were meant for that, weren´t day?

2- My kids at school used to sleep at midday for a short while, if they didn’t the became a real pain. Although we have reached our full size, our bodies still need to rest for a while. Don’t just have lunch and rush back to work (or even work while eating) . Move a little, rest your mind. 5-10 minutes can do wonders to your concentration power.

3- Use the one minute meditation a few times a day. Set your alarm clock for just one minute and concentrate on your breathing. Just feel the air coming in, and feel the air going out.

4- Last but not least: SLEEP.

1. First experience how many hours you need to sleep everyday. We are all different. Trust your body, it will let you know if you listen.
2. If you are diminish your sleeping hours ask yourself about the cause: too much work? The need to have some time for yourself after fulfilling all the tasks of the day?. If you try to arrange your sleeping hours and you do not know what keeps you awake, you are in the wrong starting point.
3. Exercise: it will help your body restore better. But also check if exercising in the evening puts you to sleep or wakes you up. Exercising produces certain hormones that activate the body and might counteract the effect of melatonine and adenosine, but again, we are all different. Just check!
4. Try drinking something hot a short while before going to sleep, better not coffee, even decaf. In my case simple hot water works better than a herb tea.
5. If you suffer from insomnia and you have tried everything …. try teacher-guided meditation. Choose the teacher that speaks to your gut. Not just any teacher.

A short meditation to sleep better

If your mind and your body are a bit restless before going to sleep, or if you have difficulties sleeping, try this exercise.

A mind that gets the oportunity to grab a few short rests during the day is more likely to sleep soundly than a hyperactive mind. Keep this in mind 🙂