When discussing what makes an individual productive and how can he or she become more efficient, the ability to relax and truly rest should not be excluded from the conversation.  With so much emphasis placed on the do more and do it now mentality, the truth is, a well rested worker is a highly productive worker. But how do you relax?  It sounds easy enough but sleep disorders and lack of sleep seems to have reached epidemic proportions.

On a personal note, getting a sound nights sleep and/ or finding that place of pure relaxation is quite troublesome for me. I stay up too late, toss and turn, and generally average about 4 1/2 hours of fairly solid sleep a night.  This is not good and can be detrimental to an individual’s overall health So what is one to do?  

As a co-owner of an internet business products company, our work technically never ceases.   Both minor and major issues can easily distract me from getting the rest I need as I find it was too easy for me to succumb to what I should instead ignore.   No matter if you are selling office stuff or financial services, if your occupation consumes you, it will take its toll across all areas of you life leaving you out of balance and much more ineffective. I have in effect voluntarily ruined what was once a fairly normal sleep schedule by allowing work to become the priority at the exact moment it should not be.  This is not to minimize your career but enhance it by putting your full attention to the issue once you are mentally and physically recharged.  After allowing nagging work issues more authority over your rest period, it can be quite difficult to re-establish a more normal pattern of rest.    Therefore, because I have such difficulty relaxing, I look for outside influences that help me to take my mind to a more peaceful place.

After taking care of the obvious things such as making sure you are comfortable, how do you prepare your mind for sleep?  Trust me, I wish there was a simple answer.  However, clearing your mind and preparing it for deep sleep takes practice.  Learning to relax should be viewed as another skill set to be acquired.   Calming music and mediation are two fantastic ways to prepare the mind.  

Ignoring the fact that a quality sleep is imperative both to the body and one’s mental alertness will eventually negatively permeate every aspect of your life.  Continuous sleep deprivation reduces your productivity and impacts your relationships with others.  It even decreases your inner sense of happiness and can lead to depression.  It is for these reasons that I associate the learned ability to relax with business.

Creativity requires energy and alertness…two things that improve dramatically with rest.  One would be wise to concentrate on learning to relax to improve his or her performance.   Below is a video I found that to some many appear a bit corny.   More astute people will recognize this as a possible means of learning how to meditate so that they too can but into practice this very important skill.  Learn to relax so that you are fit for even greater challenges to come.