By Mary Jaksch
In a short video, Arianna Huffington explains how she found a simple way to be more productive, more creative, and happier. She is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of thirteen books. A year ago she fainted at her desk from sheer fatigue and injured herself quite badly. After she had healed her broken jawbone and eye-socket, Arianna went on to find a new way to be more productive – and happier.
Check out what she found in the following 4-minute video. (If you can’t see the video below, click here to see it.
What are your thoughts about this? Please share them in the comments.
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Over the years, I too have had to learn the hard way that this is very good advice, for all the reasons mentioned in the video. In addition, I have learned that blocking out eight hours for continuous restful sleep also allows me to more accurately monitor my mood. When I am feeling at my best, I can set bed time and my alarm to allow for eight hours of sleep, and invariably awaken naturally a few minutes before the alarm actually goes off. If I find myself being consistently awakened by the alarm, or even wanting to hit the snooze button, I know that I am slipping into a depressed mood. My whole family seems to have a genetic predisposition toward this, and it is often seasonal. The point is that these things can sneak up on me and become problematic, before I realize what is happening. But not if I am consistently getting proper sleep. Then when I see the early signs, I can immediately take small steps, like increasing my level of physical exercise, to keep a more even keel during a down cycle.
She only touched on the subject. I would’ve been interested in hearing her ‘journey’ and some research findings from the analysis of our performance with more sleep vice less sleep. That said, those studies have been overdone and can easily been found. So this speech serves as a reminder to get more sleep. It is something that we all probably already know. Again, we just need to implement what we already know.
As usual your post theme is strangely pertinent to my current thoughts and activities. I’m establishing a habit of rising at 7 each morning. Time for zazen before the family awakes. Time to get a few wee jobs done so my girls get my full attention. Trouble is I’m a natural night person and rarely in bed before midnight, so sleep deprivation continues to be a reality… I have been thinking what is useful about being tired is that aspects of my self I’d rather reject are within touching distance. I get a chance to acknowledge that sometimes I can be an irritable jerk, and try to treat myself with a bit more compassion – hopefully by getting a bit more sleep!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, specially since a lot of very successful and productive bloggers have been strongly advocating the art of sleeping less. As someone who has never really needed more than 7 or 8 hours sleep myself, I’ve been seriously tempted to cut right back in the hope of achieving more in a day. But for some reason this idea has been (please forgive pun!) setting off alarm bells in my head. You see I remember arriving at this point before! It was at the start of my career back in the frenetic 1980′s London of Margaret Thatcher’s era…when she famously boasted that 4hours sleep was perfectly adequate for high achievers like her (!). Unfortunately a lot of her followers ended up being badly burnt out by the end of that decade…having sizzled the candle at both ends for one night too many. So although there is still a part of me that resents time wasted sleeping when there is so much to be enjoyed in a day…I have found myself battling with the alarm setting on my phone every night. So far it has been a resounding victory for my body clock which insists on a minimum of 7 hours but positively purrs on a solid 8. It’s good to see someone as influential as Arianna Huffington giving the subject an airing which should at least provoke some further debate on the pros and cons.
Rosemary´s last [type] ..First it Gave me Wings to Fly…
Mary,
I love Arianna~! (I absolutely adore her Greek accent too)
I definitely value my sleep. I cannot function with less than 7 hours – I did it for years when I was a in corporate America, and I was never so miserable in my life. When I wake up refreshed I am much more creative and productive and happy. Amen to sleep!
Angela Artemis/Powered by Intuition´s last [type] ..The Miracle That is Sahaja Yoga Meditation
This video was enlightening for me. Like Rosemary, I’ve noticed this trend of advising us to sleep less and achieve more. But I know that my body and mind need 7/8 hours or else it takes too long to ‘get to the front of my head’ in the mornings.
My problem is I sometimes feel I’d like to sleep all day. I never feel I’ve had enough.
But what is ‘enough’ is different for each individual I guess.
Linda´s last [type] ..‘Hell For Half A Year’ What’s This Doing On Positive Spin
So we really have come to the point to need someone to remind us that we need… to sleep?! Each of us should get enough restful sleep. We need sufficient food, drink, sleep and in my opinion, love, to keep alive.
I am annoyed by the fact that sleep is now advertised as a way to be able to achieve more.
When I want to work with somebody, what I ask them beforehand is if they’re happy.
But now I will start asking them if they get enough sleep, too!
Mary I love how you kept it a surprise-what she was going to say. Yes the overproductivity, self-reference is rampant. I am shocked though that she could run herself that ragged, iv’e been at my desk when I feel myself nodding but to get to the point of passing out-means she was using her will as a weapon over her intuition and physical feelings, and that’s really sad. I think sad especially for us women as it points to a elevation of the “male” paridigm of ambition, drive and self-assertion over self care.
I find it’s worse if you live in a city-having left NYC for the country, it’s a saner lifestyle in many ways honestly. There is less pressure and expectation to be super productive and on top of the world.
Mary, I’m all for getting enough sleep. In weeks when I get run down I manage to squeeze in naps if necessary. Maybe it’s uncharitable for me to complain that you chose to refer to a video showcasing Arianna Huffington, I certainly have compassion for anyone who worked hard enough to injure themselves due to lack of sleep, but Arianna Huffington really has a bad reputation amongst journalists for the way she has treated them and undervalued their writing. Given the supportive person you are, I’m left with a bit of a bad taste. The Huffington Post was just sold for a huge sum while the writers who created all of the content were left with… regrets.
Alison Kerr | Loving Nature’s Garden´s last [type] ..A simple guide to strawberry planters
Oh! I didn’t know that the Huff has been sold – and that all the people who supported it were left with nothing. That’s not good. Thanks for sharing it with us, Alison
Mary you did not hear, I”m pulling from memory here but it was around $135 million???? she sold it to AOL, and she gets to still work there, so she sold something and still gets to run it. I had not heard she had a bad reputation though.
Actually I think it was $315 million and projected revenue for the year is $60 million.
Sale of Huff Post at NYT
A trifle off-topic here of course. Sorry if I hijacked the thread. Just because I don’t agree with someone’s business practices doesn’t mean I can’t learn something good from them. What is the expression? Our enemies are our best teachers. Not that Arianna Huffington is my enemy – I’ve never had any personal dealings with her and have rarely even read the Huff Post.
No Alison I dont’ think you “hijacked” the thread. And yes gulp I had turned the numbers arund on her sale price IT BOGGLES MY MIND, you can see i’m dyslexic as I had the numbers right but in wrong order! A mistake I”m sure Ariana would not make. Mary a post on manifesting abundance would be much appreciated.
Kala/Embark-LoveTheLifeYouLive´s last [type] ..Survive Toxic Air Like a Movie Star- Solve Indoor Air Pollution Naturally
Now, I didn’t say that all of the writers who supported the Huff were left with nothing, but at least one writer was, as in this article from the New York Times which talks about a Pulitzer prize winner who tried to get paid for 2 years.
New York Times.
Alison Kerr | Loving Nature’s Garden´s last [type] ..A simple guide to strawberry planters
Alison, thanks for that link, i just read the article and it raised alot of issures for me. I write for FREE for a online source, and yes the idea is they get me traffic to my blog so i give them content. But this article raises troubling issues as media continues to shift in the sand. Especially the idea of serfs and landowners…
You know, Arianna Huffington is so right. I used to get much less sleep, and was always dragging during the day. In the last several months, I adjusted my life to add more rest and sleep. I try to get into bed about nine in the evening, listening to the radio as I journal about my day. Then I do a little reading, trying to keep my book interesting but not so enthralling that I’m more interested in it then lying down for sleep. I usually turn off the light and settle in for sleep around ten.
I’ve found making these changes helps me get more rest and I’m readier to tackle the next day.
I so wholeheartedly agree with this strategy that I wrote a whole blog post about how to get more and better sleep a couple weeks ago. The “myth” that driving ourselves harder will take us to success faster is a dangerous one indeed. The cool thing about taking the time to get enough sleep AND to meditate expands the amount of time in your day. Your brain works so efficiently that you need far less time to do the same number of things. Thanks for sharing this powerful video, Mary!
Ande Waggener´s last [type] ..Why You Need Just One Thing
Hi,
Really good video. Recently I read some posts and the author said he sleeps for 5 hours and still manages the work. I tried, but somehow dint work for me. I realised everybody’s unique.
Avadhut´s last [type] ..4 Stages in Industry’s Life Cycle and why you should know them
I believe the issue of sleep changes as our lives change. When my kids were younger, sleep was a luxury. Now that my kids are grown and out of the house, it’s quieter and I get more sleep. When I was working traditional jobs that I hated, my sleep was disturbed. But when I moved to the beach and began to live in a more relaxed and mindful manner in a life of my choosing, I get more sleep. I think the bottom line is if you can’t currently follow your dreams, lean into the life you have now knowing that just like a sleepless night, this too shall pass.
I read all the comments and I’m just going with the sleep thing. I love my 8 hours a night. They enable me to workout, look good (just a joke) and get my work/life in balance. Thanks for sharing this TED video.
Oh my~ what a humor and delighting video/tip, Mary. I too hope to sleep my way to the top. But there are too much worries, fear and stress that will disturb my rest. And I actually get an interesting tip when I was researching about sleeping problem a few years back: the way to cure insomnia is stop finding cures/solutions on how to sleep well and just go to sleep!
Ah, yes… sleep. If only we could! I don’t have a problem with wanting to, I just have a problem with being able to. The more exciting my life is (and with all the fun learning I’m doing about blogging at the A-List Blogger Club) the less I am able to sleep. I probably average around 5 hrs. a night. Would LOVE to get more.
I’d ask for an article on how to do that or write one myself but I’ve tried every trick in the book. I think I am resigned.
Anyway, that video made me laugh out loud. And I’m off to read the article Alison pointed us to here in the comments. Great community you have going here.
Thanks, Mary.
Patti Foy | Lightspirited Being´s last [type] ..Are You Mistaken About What Channeling Is
I unwittingly participated in a extreme case study of sleep deprivation for a year when my twins were born. They put us through such sleep deprivation that every day activities were no longer possible. On more than one occasion I found myself at executive meetings, not able to form a complete sentence.
I completely agree with Ms. Huffington. Although getting a few less hours of sleep per night may seem acceptable, it is the extreme deprivation that can really show us the effects. She was right, perhaps if her companion had one more hour the night before, he would have been more interesting.
Sincerely,
Cheryl
My latest blog post can be found at: Joy is Watching a Business Grow
We’ve bee so busy with our lives that we’ve overlooked a simple element that is vital for our body, ‘SLEEP”! Its true that we perform our best when we have sufficient rest!
Jeffery @
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