Last week I experimented with sleeping less (stupid idea), waking up earlier (not the most brilliant idea), working longer hours (meh), and giving up some beautiful life moments (do not ever try this) to work on a highly important project and here are some learnings.
Sleeping less
Sleeping less makes you a less logical and more emotional human being. You’re more prone to be irritated, be worried, be more stressed out, make errors and take poor decisions. More importantly, it doesn’t help getting the right things done all the time. We all need our minimal hours of sleep to be the best version of ourselves.
Waking up earlier
Waking up earlier might be helpful to get some things done before distractions come in, but it isn’t always true. You’ve got to be self aware on who you are and the amount of resting you need. See above point.
Working longer
Working longer hours doesn’t necessarily mean getting more tasks done. The amount of input doesn’t mean the right amount of output. Working longer with no clear focus just means working longer. I particularly find working remotely or working from home the best and most productive for me.
Giving up life moments
Giving up beautiful life moments shouldn’t be on anyone’s agenda. In the end, we will regret not spending more time with our loved ones, not traveling more often, and not enjoying life outside of work as much as possible. Old people regret working too much and giving up on joyful moments even when they loved what they did.
I love what I’m currently doing and these are some learnings and reminders for my future self. And maybe for you as well.
Richard Chan 