Top Time Tip #112 
How to Prevent or Reduce Work-Place Fatigue

12th November 2008

Well, there's been a few interesting things in the last week, haven't there! What about that amazing election in the US! (How fabulous to watch history in the making). And in New Zealand our own elections, with an overturn of the 3-term Labour Party. People around the world are saying in no uncertain terms, 'We want change.'

For us at GettingAGrip.com, the last month has been running at full steam as usual. A few highlights:

Cheers, 

Is Tiredness Eroding Your Effectiveness And Your Company Profits?

As a result of Top Time Tip # 109 - Is Your Company's Policy on Tea Breaks Costing You Money? I've had a number of interesting conversations lately about power napping. One of these was with Rachel Lehen at Metronaps, a Fatigue Management Consultancy.

I hadn't heard of such a business before so it was a delight to discover Rachel and her company. If you've been an ezine subscriber for a while you've probably heard me beat the drum before about the importance of knowing when to step away from daily work, especially in the afternoon; that working hard all day is absolutely NOT good time management. To find a global company that specialises in supporting people with the same message, and even equipment to help us take effective power naps, was a delight.

Rachel also gave me another angle and another term. As she explained, it's not just about effectiveness and efficiency during the day, but also a safety issue because of the impact of fatigue on our day-to-day lives. We see messages about fatigue on our roads - but the same message should also be shouted in the workplace. Many of the worst accidents we've seen in recent times have occurred at the end of long shifts - Chernobyl being just one example.

The Problem is our Society is Becoming Sleep Deprived

Almost all of us are awake for longer hours than a century ago, due to the opportunities afforded by electricity. Add to that the impact of an increasing global economy and the advent of the internet and modern tele-communications and we discover that since the 1980s many people have an increasing sleep deficit.

How many people do you know who never turn off their Blackberries or other PDAs (and will answer them if they ring during the night)? Or take their laptops home almost every night so they can continue to work? Or work across borders and have to get up early or stay up late to talk to colleagues or clients on other sides of the world? Or they stay up late at night to watch TV? Or DVDs? Or do 'stuff' on their computers late at night?

Less than 40 years ago we didn't have 24-hour TV, we didn't have DVDs, and we certainly didn't have computers and the World Wide Web. In only a few decades the way we live has changed dramatically, and there are consequences.

Hey, I'm not trying to turn the clock back. I love the way we can communicate so freely and readily around the globe in today's world. However, I do encourage people to notice what's happening and how we manage it. Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. Time management isn't about cramming more into any 24-hour period. Instead the more useful and higher-level skill is to become better at exercising wisdom of choice.

Any of us operating in a global economy (and I include myself in this group) has to do funny hours some of the time. Almost all of us will sit up late from time to time to watch a gripping TV programme, a favourite sporting event or the latest breaking news on something dramatic on the other side of the world. But ask yourself - how often is that normal for you?

If you're finding that switch-off time is the exception rather than the rule, what are you doing to your body? And how effective are you - truthfully? How creative is your thinking? Or is there a sense of overwhelming commitments, relentless pressure, a feeling of being on a spinning treadmill.

Let's go back to power naps as a strategy

That's what kept Winston Churchill operating at full steam through all those tough war years. When tired he'd pop upstairs (when he was working at Downing Street) and hop into bed for about 20 minutes. He also had a special nap chair near his office. A few of the other famous names who applied the same habit - Margaret Thatcher, John F. Kennedy, Beethoven, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo Da Vinci, Eleanor Roosevelt, Johannes Brahms, John D. Rockefeller, Dali, Robert Louis Stevenson and Albert Einstein.

Have you noticed that the best ideas never come when you're sitting at your desk? And how often is a brilliant idea or the solution to a problem sitting in your mind when you wake in the morning. Imagine tapping into that resource through the day. Often it is when we nap that fresh ideas, new insights, and solutions rise to the surface of our mind. According to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies naps enable our brain activity to remain high throughout the day. If we fail to take a nap, our brain activity declines.

Einstein knew this. He was very deliberate in his use of power naps, using them to solve problems. He would relax in a comfortable chair or on a sofa, his head propped on his hand whilst holding a handful of ball bearings. When the hand relaxed enough to drop the ball bearings he would wake up and quickly write down whatever was in his mind. Many of his most brilliant ideas came to him in this alpha state or twilight zone. He relied on the noise of the falling ball bearings to wake him up; to have slept longer would have taken him into deep sleep.

'But I work in a corporate environment and can't take a nap', you might be saying. Really? If you take the time to notice the messages your body sends you, and if you can show your employer or colleagues the benefits they reap from your increased effectiveness in the afternoon, you might be surprised how much support you get. If employers realise they'll get higher productivity and less mistakes, why wouldn't they support such behaviour?

Maybe you don't have the luxury of a door. Look for other solutions such as going to your car in the car park, maybe a sick room or perhaps there's a quiet room you can use.

And now, I'm off for a 'creative moment'. Happy napping!

Cheers

GettingAGrip.com Affiliates

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It's very easy. Go here and register to become an affiliate. There is no need to become a major sales person - who likes selling? I don't. But just a quick email to people you know, something like, "I've used Robyn's products and found them really useful. Take a look."

Then when people you've recommended, buy a product, it will be credited to you. That would make some handy cash coming up to Christmas, wouldn't it?

Plus you will be giving someone you know the gift of better time management. Now that's a great gift for someone important to you, isn't it?

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