My best productivity hack: Sleep

We should worry less, sleep more, and work better.

Photo by Becky Fantham on Unsplash

It has been a pretty heavy couple of weeks for freelancers, so rather than publish something fluffy — which I had in mind and largely drafted — I’m opting instead to suggest some ways to increase productivity.

Having been short of freelance gigs repeatedly over the past 18 months, I’ve found time running out as I scramble to find gigs. No sooner has breakfast been had than I’m heating up some hot chocolate and heading to bed.

There is something about the “out of work” mindset that leaves me short of time, and I don’t think I’m the only one. It can be hard to focus when the pressure is on, which is why I’ve started to appreciate that one thing that is important to all of us:

Sleep.

Over the past few months, I’ve rediscovered sleep as a productivity tool. It has helped me to draft articles, prepare for tough days, and give me an energy boost.

(I’m writing this and thinking: “this sounds like an ad” but I’m serious. Sleep helps.)

Sleeping on it

The first way sleep features in my work is literally “sleeping on it.”

I like to plan ahead, literally. So, if I have the research done, and/or I know the topic pretty much inside out, I plan an outline in my word processor (I use LibreOffice Write, you might use Google Docs or Microsoft Word for your sins), save it, then go to bed.

When I wake up the next morning, I don’t exactly have the article in my head. However, it almost writes itself. All the relevant knowledge has been subconsciously absorbed (anything missing can be easily checked for relevance) which means writing the article is as easy as it can get.

If you need more evidence, John Cleese’s book Creativity relates a similar method. I settled upon my outline > sleep > draft method around 15 years ago, however, but it’s interesting to see that someone as successful as Cleese uses a variation of the same method.

Pre-emptive sleeping

Right, this might not actually be a thing. But I’m beginning to think my body can see through time.

Photo by 𝓴𝓘𝓡𝓚 𝕝𝔸𝕀 on Unsplash

It goes like this. When I know I’ve had enough sleep, but feel sufficiently “tired” that I could nod off for a few minutes, I take the opportunity.

Why?

Well, invariably, the period after sleeping, or the next day, is hugely demanding, usually for reasons beyond my control.

Now, of course, I genuinely don’t know if my body knows when I’m going to be really worn out, and persuades me to take pre-emptive rest. Because, let’s face it, it sounds like nonsense.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s a thing. Try it, and let me know.

Learning how to power nap

Regaining energy when you’re feeling dejected, out of ideas, or generally out of sorts is possible using the power nap.

My sister has been working as a nurse for around 20 years. (She’s not strictly speaking a nurse now, thanks to various levels of advanced study.)

In the early days, I noticed she was crashing on the sofa and falling asleep within seconds. This even happened when she hadn’t been working (pre-emptive sleeping…?). But what intrigued me the most was how, and why.

Photo by Shane on Unsplash

How? No idea, still. To be clear, this would happen in our parents’ house, with my children running around. She has a commitment to sleep, I’ll give her that.

I tried it myself a few times, and found that the sleep would either go on too long, or I’d wake up feeling worse.

Not ideal.

More recently, I’ve spoken to other writers, and discovered that power naps (and other sleep, even pre-emptive) require you to avoid sleeping too long. Power naps shouldn’t be longer than 20 minutes, as falling into a deep sleep can have the opposite effect.

Since following this shorter sleep rule, my power naps have started leaving me fully refreshed. Also, less coffee is required!