by Anthony Johnson, founder and CEO of American Injury Attorney Group
Nobody likes the sound of an abrupt morning alarm dragging you from a blissful slumber and shoving you unmercifully into a new day. This type of rude awakening virtually guarantees that any side of the bed you wake up on will be the wrong one.
Even if you love what you do, the temptation to hit the snooze button can be difficult to resist, especially when you didn’t get a healthy amount of sleep. But being beholden to your alarm clock — whether you take those extra five minutes or get up forcefully — can be a serious detriment to your productivity at work.
By waking up naturally and working when you’re most productive, you’ll feel more refreshed and inspired to take on the day. Here are five reasons to unplug your alarm clock permanently and start working a schedule that works for you:
1. Insufficient sleep and abrupt awakenings hamper your overall health.
A growing body of research indicates that sleep is not only linked to productivity, longevity, and overall health, but a lack of sleep is also correlated with a loss in innovation.
Waking up too abruptly can also increase the amount of “sleep inertia” or grogginess you feel, making it even more difficult to start the day. The snooze button isn’t your friend, either. Those few extra minutes actually make it harder to get out of bed, not easier.
Sacrificing a full night of sleep and jerking awake for the sake of the traditional 9-to-5 schedule is like overeating healthy foods: You’re not helping yourself.
2. You can immerse yourself in your work and reap the benefits.
The biggest points of growth in a company’s or individual’s development always occur during immersion periods: a hyper-focused state of mind void of distractions. By fully immersing yourself in a task and rejecting disruptions, you can get more meaningful work done.
When setting your own schedule, you can work during these immersion periods — whenever they strike throughout the day — and maximize your productivity. I spend much of my time in the digital marketing, sales, and intake sides of our business. Bouncing from task to task means I have to spend more time ramping up my thinking to reach an optimal level of productivity. By working when I feel most inspired, I can become fully immersed in the task at hand and not worry about breaking the traditional 9-to-5 schedule.
3. You can capitalize on every great idea.
Flashes of brilliance become easy to ignore when they don’t happen during the normal work schedule. By working more flexible hours, you can act on innovative solutions and ideas the moment they come to you. You perform best when you’re well-rested and following your own schedule, and abandoning your alarm clock will allow you to achieve both.
4. You’ll create a more natural work-life balance.
Without working a rigid schedule, striking a balance between your work and personal lives might sound difficult. But your schedule will naturally balance itself depending on your needs. Sometimes, you’ll have to work more than you’d like, and other times, you’ll have to spend more time at home than planned.
Regardless, you can adjust your schedule to meet the demands of your lifestyle. You’ll find that this happens naturally and you don’t have to force it.
5. You’ll lead a happier life overall.
If your role necessitates traditional office hours, you can always work from home early in the morning or late at night if that’s when you’re most effective. Consider readjusting your role so you can work a more flexible schedule. Getting a full night’s sleep and having more autonomy over your day will boost your happiness, which greatly impacts productivity.
If you’re forcing yourself to push forward, your brain and body are simply telling you to take a break. Instead, go for a walk or do a few push-ups. After giving your body and brain a break, you can get back into that inspired mindset and work more productively.
Sleep is a key factor in your productivity, overall health and happiness, and ability to innovate. Don’t let your alarm clock get in the way of a more productive day. Choose a sleep and work schedule that aligns with your lifestyle, and you’ll work smarter.
Anthony Johnson is the founder and CEO of American Injury Attorney Group. American Injury Attorney Group is committed to raising awareness of potential claims for people harmed by dangerous drugs, defective metal-on-metal hip replacement devices, semi truck accidents, product recalls, and other personal injury cases caused by the negligence or fault of another.
