It’s a well-documented fact that many entrepreneurs don’t sleep. The Tech Collective team barely get four to five hours a night, because we essentially work a couple of jobs with managing this website and our day jobs.
There is also a lot of actual scientific research to show that sleep isn’t overrated and we’re all sucking at our job because we’re so tired. You can find a couple of examples here and here.
So we sat down as a group and looped in some entrepreneurs to ask them questions about their sleep habits and also discuss some real issues that entrepreneurs face. Here’s Tech Collective Talks.
Sleep is a luxury for most
Sacrifice is a necessity if you’re trying to make your business grow and become successful, so losing sleep is just one of the issues.
The real question is whether sleep-deprivation actually hurts you more than helps you. Are those extra hours really worth it?
For David Bobis from Studio Culture, it initially was worth the hassle.
“I used to be a complete believer in the “less sleep, more work” mindset until it really started messing with my health. I then discovered a bunch of research on the importance of sleep. Although I still stumble back to old habits sometimes, I prioritise at least seven hours of sleep per night.”
Science seems to agree with David, as a lot of research shows that between 7 to 9 hours of sleep is the recommended amount for most working adults.
However, a lot of entrepreneurs have issues with sleeping when they have a mounting list of things to do.
David’s got an answer for that as well, “If seven hours of sleep scares you, it probably means you’re not being efficient with your work.”
Are naps the solution?
As a collective group, I can personally attest to the benefit of a quick nap in the afternoon, but I also know that it is a luxury for most of us.
Speaking to Terng Shing from SYNC, he shared that while naps are great for increased productivity during the evening, it does take away time from when he can speak to his clients.
“I’ve taken naps at office, parks and pretty anywhere I can rest my head for 30 minutes without being kicked out. However, during that time I miss calls or don’t respond to urgent requests, because I have to turn off notifications if I don’t want my phone to wake me up regularly.”
Naps can work, but really depend on how you work and if you’re able to take time off during the day without things crumbling around you or seeming to.
What else can we do
A lot of things we do at Tech Collective and our other jobs has helped us manage our time better, reduced stress and given us the opportunity to catch some sleep at least.
Here’s what we do:
- Delegate really well. We all started as terrible delegators who needed to control every aspect of the job. However, as our roles got more complex or our businesses took off, we needed to relinquish some aspects of the business and it was the best way forward.
- Figure out what really matters. Your health and family, actually do matter more than making money or your business. When you understand that, having a bit more sleep doesn’t seem so crazy.
- Practical things like skipping coffee after 2pm reduces the impact caffeine has on your body in the evening. You’ll feel a bit off for the first few days, but you’ll adapt quickly.
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Tech Collective Talks is a new segment where we discuss matters that our partners, startup founders, and staff feel is important enough to spend time around it. We discuss it as a group and from it, we craft a story to share with our readers.
If you’ve got something on your mind, drop us a note here and we’ll see if we can include it in the next session.