Does Your Lack of Sleep and Breaks Affect Your Productivity?

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | November 18, 2021 |

During a workshop I was presenting on work-life balance, we discussed the importance of sleep and taking breaks.

The mantra I preach is:

Time management is all about mind management.

So, if you’re not taking care of your brain through sleep and taking breaks, then your brain won’t take good care of you. When your brain quits taking care of you, you’ll make less-than-stellar decisions about how to use your time. Therefore, the lesson to walk away with is:

Get at least seven hours of sleep each night and take breaks throughout the day.

All of the participants were nodding their heads in agreement as we discussed the various productivity benefits of sleep and breaks. One participant raised her hand and asked if there was any research to support this so that her analytical brain would believe what the intuitive part of her brain already believed.

I thought I’d share with you the research about how sleep and taking breaks affect your productivity:

A round up of research on the benefits of walking and taking breaks

Sleep and short breaks boost work engagement

Naps improve performance

Brain activity/working long stretches is not optimal for the brain

Sleep deficits lead to decreased productivity

For the complete guide to improving your productivity through sleep, taking breaks and other strategies, check out The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.

time management tactics for working smarter

About Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO®

As The Inefficiency Assassin™, Time Management Fixer Helene Segura empowers professionals on the go with the tools to slay lost time. Personal inefficiency at work leads to increased stress levels, lower morale, higher absenteeism, more turnover – and rising spending on employee health care and hiring. Why not improve productivity, decrease stress levels, and increase profits instead?The author of four books – two of which were Amazon best-sellers – Helene Segura has been the featured organization expert in more than 200 media interviews. She has coached hundreds of clients to productivity success and performance improvement by applying neuroscience and behavioral modification techniques to wipe out destructive, time-wasting habits.Helene turns time management on its head by sharing both client case studies and pop culture examples to teach her mind-bending framework for decreasing interruptions, distractions and procrastination so that companies can spend more time generating revenue.

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