Sleep more, rest more often, take vacations and you’ll work better
Posted by staff / February 10, 2013 American economyLack of sleep
Evidence continues to grow, proving that vacation time, naps and just general down-time really do increase productivity and allow us to be more effective at work.
Lack of sleep costs the American economy $60+ billion a year, reports a Harvard study. But most workplaces reward those employees who stay longer, work more – even though this behavior demonstrates down the road to be the biggest predictor of burn-out.
Turns out, our bodies cycle from creativity to fatigue every 90 minutes and that the optimum is to work in less-than 90 minute increments, take frequent breaks and should aim to work no longer than a cumulative 4.5 hours a day. Says Dr. Ericsson of Florida University: “To maximize gains from long-term practice, individuals must avoid exhaustion and must limit practice to an amount from which they can completely recover on a daily or weekly basis.”
Full story at The New York Times.
Photo credit: HaywireMedia – Fotolia.com
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