Recently, I was joking around with fellow bloggers Murray Lunn and Mark Bell recently by calling them Terminators from the future because of the amount of content they produce. Those two guys are blogging machines! But, it brings up an interesting question- As an internet entrepreneur, how much sleep do you get?
With all the rigors and distractions of everyday life (i.e. kids, a regular job, appointments, etc.) working on your growing internet empire is becoming increasingly difficult. You have to maintain your family life and keep the significant other happy. The kids demand attention and the occasional diaper change (if they’re little).
The great internet entrepreneurs are able to maintain both the everyday life events and the internet lifestyle by getting by on the least amount of sleep as they can and great organizational skills. I know of some entrepreneurs who go to bed at around 2-3am and have to be up for the regular 9 to 5 by 6am. While this may be the normal to some, to others, it’s incomprehensible. “3 HOURS OF SLEEP?? I wouldn’t be able to function!” And they’re probably right.
I’ve read percentages as high as 50% of Americans are chronically deprived of sleep. And I can imagine that as an entrepreneur, that percentage is much higher. I personally have been able to get by with a minimum of 3 hours of sleep. But, I can only do that for a maximum of 2-3 days at a time before I pass out for the following 10 hours.
As entrepreneurs we are all creating, selling, marketing and doing wonderful things for our businesses. But, we can’t hurt ourselves while doing it. Here are a few tips to make sure that we’re able to get adequate sleep and perform at peak efficiency:
Plan a Specific Time for Bed
The days of partying and drinking until 4 in the morning have years since past by. Nowadays for me, 12am is late. Now, I will, however, stay up until 1 and sometimes 2am if I’m working on a project that I don’t want to lose momentum. We all have those brilliant ideas in the late hours and we HATE to have to fight sleep to crank out that idea. Sometimes, it’s better to let sleep win that battle. Jot down a few notes and points that you want to pick up on the next day and go to bed. Your dreams will probably enhance your thoughts when you jump back in tomorrow.
Turn off the Computer
Leaving your computer or laptop on after you’ve decided to go to bed is asking for trouble. After you have committed to going to sleep, you get hit with another flash of brilliance that you need to add to that email or marketing campaign. If your computer is still on, the temptation to run to it and that little gem that will put you over the top is high. Don’t do it. Go to sleep. Your “greatness” can wait.
No Red Bull or Mountain Dew a Couple Hours before Bed
I don’t get this. You should not be having any type of caffeine after 5 or 6pm. You’re asking to stay up! No caffeine after 6pm. End of story.
The point you need to understand is that as an internet entrepreneur, and to do your best work, you need rest. There is no trade-off. The point of caution is too much rest can make you lazy. But, when you have a few dozen business ideas tossing around in your head, becoming lazy is not an option. Just don’t deprive yourself of sleep.
So get out there and change the world. Don’t forget to catch a few “zzzzz” in creating your empire.
Later.
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