HEY GUYS, SAW THIS EARLIER AND THOUGHT I SHOULD SHARE ... READ ON, YOU'LL FIND IT VERY HELPFUL. I DID!
Regardless of the industry or size of the company, every
entrepreneur will face a fight against a tired mind and body.
Founders often justify burning the
midnight oil, as this is their time to create something meaningful and sleep is
something that can come later in life – after these valuable years of
innovation are behind them. But this thought process isn't necessarily beneficial
to the company, as lack of sleep can cause people not to think (or function)
properly. I should know.
I started OrigAudio, a portable
audio products company, with co-founder Mike Szymczak while working a 9-to-5
job as a marketing coordinator for JanSport. As soon as the "workday"
was over, I began plugging away on OrigAudio until about 4 in the morning, only
to wake up at 7 to get ready for work. I often caught myself emailing the wrong
people, ordering too much inventory and passing out while working on the couch
more frequently than sleeping in my bed. This continued for nearly a year
before I was able to put the "safe job" behind me to focus on
OrigAudio around the clock.
During my journey, I’ve learned several
lessons to help battle through the long hours and endless days that are part of
the life of an entrepreneur.
1.
Get your catnaps in. A catnap, or a quick 20 to 30 minute
nap, can be an entrepreneur's best friend. I wouldn’t recommend revolving your
sleep schedule around this sort of Polyphasic sleep pattern but occasional 15-minute power
naps can give you a boost in energy and help you to power through another few
hours.
2.
Delegate tasks to others. We want to do it all on our own, and we
often do, but conquering the world takes a team. Utilize co-workers, friends,
and even family members (if you are in a tough spot). As we’ve built our team
at OrigAudio, I’ve been able to rely on my staff to complete tasks that I would
otherwise be pulling an all-nighter to finish. Learning how to let go of
certain tasks is a key to growth and to allow you to focus on more important
matters.
3.
Never drop cash after midnight. Making decisions that involve purchases
after midnight will wreak havoc on your business. Also, try to avoid make
purchasing decisions when you are struggling to stay awake, and double check
important decisions before submitting them. Save vital decisions for your peak
times of the day.
4. Prioritize your responsibilities. You can’t work 24 hours a day.
Prioritize what you have to do when you are getting to the point of exhaustion.
Focus on things that need to get done, and wait to answer non-urgent emails
until the next day.
5.
Determine the minimum amount of sleep needed to function. The smallest amount of sleep I can get
while still being productive is three hours. If I can’t get at least three
hours of sleep, my time is better spent powering up with a meal and working
through the night. Know what the minimum amount of sleep you can still function
with is and make an effort to allow yourself that time.
6.
Utilize travel time. Travel is a big part of my job. While
other entrepreneurs use travel time to sleep, I use it to work. Utilize flight
and transit time by taking care of non-Internet related tasks. For instance, I
will turn Outlook email in offline mode and get through my entire list of
emails in order to send them when I get to the hotel and then go to sleep.
Those tough nights of two to three
hours of sleep are now far behind me. I now get to enjoy the luxury of 5 hours
of beauty sleep a day -- well, most days that is. While these tips have served
me well over the past five years, find what works for you.
SOURCE: ENTREPRENEUR
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