Of course, we all know this and I was reminded of it when I read my daily calendar from Sun Tzu. He wrote about this centuries ago in chapter 9 of The Art of War. I am reminded of it too when I find myself being crabby with the kids or less than polite to someone just trying to do their job at the store.

What about the people you work with? How are you towards them when you are fatigued? The hidden fact here is that we are an overworked and sleep deprived nation. We have a lot on our plates and a lot to be concerned about. We may be staying up late to complete projects or lying awake worried about the market or our jobs. Either way, we are tired, this makes us irritable, and irritated people can’t lead effectively.

Only you can make sure you get enough sleep and engage in rejuvenating activities. In the short run you can do just about anything and get away with it. In the long run if you don’t get enough sleep and relaxation your body will age metabolically. This is when we see a 45 year old person with the body of a 55 year old. The body ages beyond its years if we don’t take care of it. One of your first lines of defense in this battle is to be well-rested.

And the people you lead will feel better too because you will not be irritable!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 2:44 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.