Abstract:

Most of my clients come to me convinced that they fail at time management. What they expect is advice on how to fit more into their schedule. After all, self-help books and articles are full of this stuff. One thing I see a lot is the suggestion get up earlier and use the additional time.

This kind of thing makes me want to tear my hair, and therefore your mission today is to learn why you absolutely shouldn’t get up early to get things done, and what to do instead.

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Task 1: Why you shouldn’t get up early

Full disclosure: I’ve fallen prey to this in the past myself. I woke up 15 minutes early to read personal-development books. In theory, this sounds great: It’s almost two additional hours of reading in a week.

However, since I have trouble getting enough rest at the best of times, this turned out to be a terrible idea. I ended up exhausted and grumpy.

Most people don’t sleep enough. While individual requirements vary, on average 7-8 hours are needed in order to fully function. If you’ve got too much to do, what you need is more sleep and not less.

Task 2: What to do instead

You know what they say, that without health, nothing else matters? It’s true.

Sleep is a fundamental requirement of health. If you curb it to get more done, you’re going about it the wrong way. It’s like trying to build a skyscraper without building the foundations first.

Look after your well-being first. This goes for your physical well-being: plenty of sleep, nutritious food, some form of movement; and your mental well-being: again, sleep, and also self-care and plenty of rest and breaks during the day.

It sounds counter-intuitive, but if you want to become efficient, you need to look after yourself. You’re not going to win a race in a rusty old car with worn-down tyres and a leaky tank.