As the final hours to this wonderful weekend start winding down, my reflection back on this wholesome long weekend excites my attitude for the week ahead.
Last weekend, I was struck with a high fever, something I have not had to endure in over 2 years. Having overcome the sickness, it prompted me to speak in my classes about the power of sleep and the habits we practice when sick. Only when we are truly at our lowest of lows, do we believe in the healing power of sleep. The shift in perspective dawns upon us when we are desperate and vulnerable. The best practices of self-care and restoration switch on as if pre-programmed, and continue as unrelenting protocol until immediate results are conceded. We become our own Doctors, Nurses, Therapists, Scientists, Pharmacists, and healing Mothers.
I concluded that we need not reserve our best practices for times of sickness, but use them as frequently as possible. Broth-based soups, hot ginger lemon honey tea, hot compresses, tiger balm, epsom salt baths, porridge, congee, fresh juices, clean eating, and plenty of sleep should all be a part of our daily regimens. The way I see it, our over-productive society is sick, and the symptoms are simply dormant, waiting in the shadows for that tipping point. However pessimistic that may sound, the majority of us are over-worked and suffer from Adrenal Fatigue, pre-disposing us to sickness and disease. So why not use sleep to our advantage, not solely for when we are feeling under the weather.
I offer up a concluding perspective: sleep should not just be seen as a raw necessity, but a strategic investment.
As much as I try to share positive habits of productivity, I struggle with them. Today I spent the majority of it laying around, sleeping, reading, watching, listening, napping, etc. I struggled to not be productive. Ironically, I experienced moments of major discomfort while laying in my comfortable bed! Is productivity an addiction? Is productivity a syndrome? Does the act of sleeping during the day make you less productive in the present moment? Or does it make you more productive in days to come? Arianna Huffington says in her brief Ted Talk,
“I studied, I met with medical doctors, scientists, and I’m here to tell you that the way to a more productive, more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep.”http://www.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_get_more_sleep?language=en
Productivity is defined as “the effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.”
YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN.
I think my struggles to be calm with the idea of sleeping as productivity versus being typically on-the-go productive is confronted by my inability to set my limits and expectations on what needs to be produced. This realization helped me channel more specific PRODUCTIVITY HABITS:
– Setting daily AND weekly to-do list goals
– Prioritizing these goals based on time requirement and time sensitivity
– Identifying my potentially limiting factors or obstacles to complete these goals
– Plotting Action Plans to avoid these obstacles or Plan B’s if obstacles are faced
Cal Newport from Study Hacks: Decoding Patterns of Success says, “With the right productivity habits, the same goal can be accomplished in a less stressful, more reasonable manner.”
I conclude with a Yoda like send off:
Although my destination may be crystal clear, the path to it may become foggy. All I must do is take it one sleep at a time.
Good night.