The last few years of my life have been faster paced that I ever could have imagined. I am currently a double major at a service academy, meaning that time is my most scarce resource and extremely high levels of productivity are not optional (they’re required). There are two tools I have used to increase my productivity exponentially. 1) I introduced God to my professional life by leaning on Him heavily for everyday things. 2) I started following a sleep schedule. Today I will be giving you the details behind tool #2 so you can increase your productivity and concentration exponentially! Get excited!!
I’m sure there are official scientific articles on this exact topic but I was exposed to this as a kid from the mothers in my life (moms are seriously miracle from God like how are they so smart?). Moms put their kids to bed at the same time every day. I promise it is not a coincidence that most moms do that. If they put baby Landon (using my nephew’s name because I love him) to bed every night at 8:00, his body gets used to that time, and he begins to expect to go to sleep then. Guess what? We’re all old babies because that still works!! I started going to bed at the same time every day my sophomore year. I went from a student who fell asleep in class every day like clockwork, to an alert, productive student. My grades skyrocketed. I’m talking a 1.7 point GPA boost (yes on a 4.0 scale, no judgment on my blog please! LOL). While I strongly believe that sleep schedules are universally beneficial, there are obviously individual considerations.
One of the biggest considerations you need to make is deciding how much sleep your body needs. Some bodies work perfectly well with six hours of sleep while others may need nine hours of sleep. Find out your personal sweet spot. Mine is 8 hours. If I get 8 hours, I am exhausted by the time 10 PM rolls around but I’m rockin’ and rollin’ the rest of the day!
The next necessary action is to be consistent! Your body gets confused if you mix it up. My sleep schedule is so strong that when I travel to different time zones my body clock is still shutting down at 10 PM MDT. When you’re first training your body, use the weekends, too. I know that sounds impossible, but it isn’t. Have a few chill weekends where you go to bed at 10 and wake up at 6 (just an example using my sleep schedule times).
This sleep schedule thing is the real deal. Give it a shot. You will have a more productive, fulfilling life waiting for you when you wake up.
XOXO,
Kay
For other litle things you can do to become more productive, read Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World
