Take Care of Yourself

I am not a big fan of sleep-especially when I am worried, have too much to do and can't get to sleep in the first place. It is one of those things that is necessary that I wish I didn't have to worry about. I find myself saying (and maybe you do too), "If I could get by on just one less hour of sleep, that will equate to an hour of extra productivity. I could get more stuff done!" Unfortunately, that isn't the case.

For most people, we need on average 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Don't cheat yourself. You will be less able to focus and have less energy during the day if you don't get your rest. Dr. Charles A. Czeisler, the Baldino Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School has been quoted as saying, "The general effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance is well-known: Stay awake longer than 18 consecutive hours, and your reaction speed, short-term and long-term memory, ability to focus, decision-making capacity, math processing, cognitive speed, and spatial orientation all start to suffer. Cut sleep back to five or six hours a night for several days in a row, and the accumulated sleep deficit magnifies these negative effects."

Short and long term memory, focus and decision-making capacity all seem like important things in our day-to-day lives. If you do any additional research on the subject you will also find that sleep deprivation can affect your physical well being-an increase in illness, high blood pressure, etc. You are the only you that you have got! Take care of yourself first and then go after the rest of the stuff in your life. You deserve it.

The Value of An Escort Service

Got your attention with that one, huh? While talking with a client the other day they commented about their long hours at work and how they weren't taking care of their "self ring." But then they said things had recently changed and they were enjoying being at home more and actually eating lunch. What made the difference to her? Being an escort. Let me explain.

She works in a secure building requiring smart cards and a security clearance. She recently added two interns to her staff and they don't yet have their security clearance. So... she has to walk with them to the cafeteria for lunch and then walk them out at the end of their day. This forces her to at least GO to lunch and then end her day at a more reasonable hour. She said she forgot the benefits of lunch and getting home earlier until the interns came along.

That got me to thinking. What could be the triggers we put in place to help remind us of the importance of taking an "intermission" or not overexerting ourself in relation to work hours? For me it could be recording my six year old's voice saying, "Daddy, when are you coming home?" on my phone and then making that the alarm tone when I set it. It could be moving a picture of my family to a more prominent place on my desk before taking on that "one last task" at work to remind me to not work late-especially when I promised my family I wouldn't. Maybe engage the help of a co worker, who could come by your desk as they leave and tell you something fun they plan to do that evening.

What are some things you can think of that would help bring things back into focus for you so that you don't find yourself in the Juggling Elephants routine again?

Working Yourself To Death

According to the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (as reported by CNN), people who work 10-12 hours per day are 56% more likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack than those who work less than 10 hours. Before you discount the results, realize this: They factored out stress, personality and behaviors such as smoking.

One of the authors of the study speculates that the increase in hours leaves less time to unwind. In Juggling Elephants terms, there is little time for an intermission to relax and recharge.

While this type of study gets our attention, we shouldn't discount the short-term impact of working too many hours. It's true that jobs sometimes require an increase in hours for a short period of time-but too often we let that short period of time become too long. For me, it helps to have some warning signals that tell me I am working too many hours without a break or change in routine. They include:

• Eating lunch at my desk more than once every two weeks.
• Skipping my personal time (reading, devotion, etc.) in the morning.
• Trying to convince myself I don't have time to exercise.
• Failure to have at least 2-3 good laughs per day-because I am too hyperfocused on work.
• Just going through the motions at work and not really focusing on how to best accomplish the tasks.
• When I have no creative energy.
• Being irritable or on a "short fuse" with family and friends.

You might want to make your own list-before some major health problem FORCES you to change behavior.

Another Perspective On Balance

The straightforward approach of the military has always been refreshing in our society. They define a problem, create a solution, execute the solution and evaluate its effectiveness. That's why it was refreshing to read Lt. Colonel David Hook's Blog: Balance-Key to Avoiding Burn-out. (Lt. Colonel Hook is Commander, 5th Space Launch Squadron, Patrick Air Force Base)

So many of his comments are simple and yet very powerful. Early in the blog he writes, "Being able to manage a busy ops tempo with our personal life is both critical to a fulfilling life as well as for maintaining our personal readiness. Failure to find that balance can lead to burnout."

He then gives several recommendations to those in the Air Force-but are readily applicable to ALL of us. They are:

• Remember that while each of us is critical to achieving the mission, no one single person is irreplaceable.
• Train and cultivate your replacement so you can take leave without concern for the continued mission.
• Likewise, be a good wing man and be prepared to assume the responsibilities of your teammates.
• Recognize there's never enough time to accomplish everything that needs to be done.
• Understand your commander's priorities and know where he is willing to accept risk, and then do the most important things first.
• Lastly, time spent on your own health is always a good investment. Good fitness increases your resistance to stress and helps stave off burn-out.

Key To Being A Best Place Work?....

Glassdoor.com has just published its 50 Best Places To Work. The results are based on employee feedback and input provided anonymously. The top 5 companies were:

• Southwest Airlines
• General Mills
• Slalom Consulting
• Bain and Company
• McKinsey and Company

One effective feature of the list is that you can click on a company and see what makes it a best place to work. There are a number of recurring themes, including:

• Employees are given opportunities for growth.
• The workplace environment is fun and positive.
• My ideas are valued.

If any part of your job includes managing other people, I strongly encourage you to spend a few minutes going through the list and finding some fresh ideas to help improve the performance of your people. Who knows? One day your company may make the list.