Sacrificing sleep to “gain” time usually ends up in more time lost than is ever gained.
Sure, you might bank an extra hour when you get 7 hours of sleep instead of 8, but what isn’t considered as readily is the time lost when trying to make up for the side-effects of sleep deprivation.
When you add up all of the time spent taking excessive (caffeine) breaks, complaining about being tired (both to others and in your own head), and trying to chop down the tree of your work with a dull axe—the mismatch can be quite eye-opening.
When asked what time she wakes up every morning, founder of The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) and absolute legend in the writing world, Maria Popova said “Exactly 8 hours after I went to bed.”
She went on to explain that the sloth and mental cloudiness that comes from suboptimal sleep simply can’t be made up during the day in caffeine or whatever else. The bottom line for her is that she always produces higher quality work in a more efficient time when she gets proper rest.
…It’s the adding of time to sleep that can actually result in more time saved in the end.
While this isn’t exactly breaking news, here’s my reality: I’ve been trying to bank an extra hour or two by sleeping for 6 or 7 hours instead of 8 for years. And to no avail.
My body almost always forces me to stay in bed for 8. It’s stubborn as hell. Or maybe, I’m the one who is stubborn as hell and am finally starting to hear my body.