Apr 04, 2023 07:00:00

4 ways to get work done on a sleep-deprived day

Lack of sleep should be avoided because it causes health hazards such as

increased visceral fat and deterioration of mental health , and reduces concentration , but watching sports late at night and surfing the Internet can keep you up late. Władyslaw Rifkin, who teaches organizational behavior at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, explained how to work and study properly even on a sleepless morning.

How a night of poor sleep can affect your next day at work – and four ways to function better
https://theconversation.com/how-a-night-of-poor-sleep-can-affect-your-next-day-at-work-and-four-ways-to-function-better-201896

In the field of organizational behavior, which Mr. Rifkin specializes in, sleep, which affects work efficiency, is emphasized. For example,

a study published by Rifkin et al. On the other hand, it has also been found that sleep-deprived people are more likely to procrastinate at work or engage in unethical behavior such as taking credit for others.

These problems arise because sleep impairs cognitive skills. In particular, your willpower, the cognitive skill you need to control your impulses and emotions, focus on your work, and complete uninteresting tasks, is greatly influenced by the quality of your sleep.

Getting a good night's sleep is essential to avoiding sleep deprivation. Therefore, Mr. Rifkin summarizes the following four ways to keep performance as low as possible even on days when you are sleep deprived.

◆ 1: Choose a task to work on
As mentioned above, a bad night's sleep reduces willpower, so I worked on tasks that were simple and didn't require a lot of attention or thinking, and avoided tasks that required more willpower. It is safer. If you really have to do that kind of work, it's better to do the willpower task in the morning when you still have energy.

◆ 2: Review the mindset

Mindset is the way you think and the way you see things. One study found that 'how you think about willpower' affects your ability to exercise willpower, so changing the way you think about your willpower can help compensate for the cognitive skills that sleep deprivation impairs. Said to be effective.

Specifically, those who believe that willpower is a finite source of mental resources, compared to those who believe that willpower comes from infinite, easily replenished resources. It is said that the feeling of exhaustion after demonstrating willpower is strong.

Therefore, Rifkin says, ``People who think they have unlimited willpower perform well even on sleep-deprived days. Then maybe you should reconsider,' he advised.

3: If you can't change yourself, change the situation
For example, when dieting, rather than refraining from eating chocolate every time you see it in the kitchen, it's safer to refrain from buying chocolate at the supermarket in the first place so that chocolate doesn't come into your sight.

A study published in 2011 also found that ``people who are good at exerting willpower are actually good at avoiding situations that require willpower.''

Strategies to avoid situations that require willpower, especially on sleep-deprived days, can help you be more productive, Rifkin noted.

◆ 4: Watch funny videos
According to Rifkin, positive emotions can help restore mental energy by counteracting the harmful effects of negative emotions. In fact, in a study published in 2022, Mr. Rifkin found that ``people who watched interesting videos during the day alleviated the mental burden of work that required willpower.''

Based on these findings, Rifkin says, ``If you feel low mental energy on a sleep-deprived day, it may be effective to watch a pleasant video to refresh your mind. said.