• Legacy
  • Academy
  • Business
  • PayTech
  • Ignite
  • Cellcos
  • Wired
  • CovidTech
  • Library
  • Touch Base
Subscribe
CW Pakistan

Computerworld Pakistan

CW Pakistan
  • Legacy
  • Academy
  • Business
  • PayTech
  • Ignite
  • Cellcos
  • Wired
  • CovidTech
  • Library
  • Touch Base
  • Technology

Op-ed: Sleeping Your Way to Success

  • June 14, 2017
  • Content Desk
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

I never understood Arianna Huffington when she said “Discover the great ideas that lie inside you by discovering the power of sleep”. In fact, she seems to be among the very few successful individuals who regard sleep as something that is a tool for success, rather than a nuisance. After all, the rich and famous try to avoid sleep as much as possible in an effort to maximize the number of productive hours available to them each day. While reducing your sleeping hours certainly has a lot of short-term benefits, it is proven to be a terrible strategy in the long run.

Human beings have always known instinctively that sleep is one of the mainstays of a healthy life, right up there with food and water in importance. Recently though, medical science has shed even more light on some unanticipated benefits of getting adequate sleep. More sleep means better health, fortified immunity, and sharper focus on your work throughout the day. Things many of us don’t realize or give importance to, and neither did I till a year ago.

My Own Experience With Sleep Deprivation

All this scientific evidence and pep talks about the importance of sleep can lose their value when you are faced with a tight deadline, and just have to get some work done. I learnt this the hard way in the early days of my entrepreneurship. Back during my student life, I rarely got a full 7 hours of sleep, but at least I tried. Catching up on sleep over the weekend was always a given, except in special circumstances like final exams. It all changed when I started my own price comparison shopping startup Price-Oye. With a business of my own, there were no weekends, no public holidays, and certainly no nap time whenever I felt like it.

All I could think of was being the next Mark Zuckerberg, and petty things like sleep and food started looking like mere distractions to me. I always thought that single-minded determination is the only way to get your business off the ground. In the start, the strategy seemed to be working, as I toiled continuously on making my business grow fast, reducing my sleep to about 3 to 4 hours each day. Soon though, I saw why a lot of people have recently started theorizing that being an entrepreneur is not everyone’s cup of tea. Despite all my hard work and putting in the extra hours, my site wasn’t really doing as well as I had hoped. I could feel that the content wasn’t up to the mark, I was skipping new mobile releases, and most importantly, I just wasn’t enjoying myself.

Read: Advance Telecom Sees Nokia as Household Mobile Phone Brand

I would have continued this way without realizing that lack of sleep was the culprit, but I was saved by a blessing in disguise. Lack of sleep often causes high blood pressure, and that’s what got me in the end. The doctor strictly ordered me to take complete bed rest for 2 weeks, and I had no option but to comply. In my effort to add a few hours to my work week, I ended up losing a solid two weeks—not including the time it took to get back to speed.

How I Benefited From A Regular Sleep Cycle

Thankfully I recovered fully, and learnt a valuable lesson; there is no alternative to a good night’s sleep. With my new work routine, I started noticing positive changes in my life and work ethic immediately. Here are some professional benefits I enjoyed by following a regular sleep cycle:

  • My nagging illnesses, general lethargy, and the tendency to procrastinate vanished, or at least decreased significantly. This is owing to the fact that sleep boosts your immunity and can help in keeping you going for longer, without getting distracted or having to take a break.
  • I started feeling and looking noticeably happier. Sleep is a known antidepressant, and I got to experience its magical prowess firsthand. In my sleep deprived state, I always felt a bit zombie-fied and my work was never really of the highest quality. Being well-rested changed all that for the better.
  • Weight gain has long been a challenge for me, forcing me to continuously count my calories and getting worried about gaining pounds that I painstakingly shed. Believe it or not, sleeping well is a big help if you are trying to watch your weight. This might not seem directly related to my startup, but with my weight stable, not only was this one thing less on my mind, I also felt more in control of my life and what I was doing with it.
  • My work almost entirely revolves around thinking power, memory and creativity. If I am not feeling fresh, there is no way I can give my 100% to the business. The difference between the sleep-deprived me and a well-rested me was plainly visible to me and my colleagues. No points for guessing which version everyone preferred!

If you are not in the habit of sleeping 7 to 8 hours every night, it will certainly take time for you to transition to a regular sleep cycle. At first, you may feel guilty for what you may think is ‘too much sleep’, but pretty soon you’ll see a dramatic difference in the quality of your work and life – it will feel completely worth it, then. Later, you might even start advocating for sleep like I do!

The author is the co-founder of Priceoye — a price comparison startup.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • Awais Imran
  • entrepreneurs
  • IDG OpEd
  • IDG Pakistan
  • Mark Zuckerberg
  • price comparison startup
  • PriceOye
  • sleep for entrepreneurs
  • tech news Pakistan
  • technology blogs Pakistan
Content Desk

Previous Article
  • Computerworld
  • News

Ministry Seeking Cabinet Approval to Test 5G Services

  • June 10, 2017
  • Content Desk
View Post
Next Article
  • CIO

Careem Raises $500M at $1B+ valuation as Daimler steps in

  • June 15, 2017
  • Content Desk
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Technology
  • Wired

IT Minister Inaugurated the ‘AI Based Career Counseling Portal’

  • Sub Editor
  • January 20, 2023
View Post
  • Technology
  • Wired

IT industry growth is only 5%, which is slow.

  • Sub Editor
  • December 21, 2022
View Post
  • Technology
  • Wired

IT Minister Requests Collaboration with OIC on Emerging Technologies

  • Sub Editor
  • December 13, 2022
View Post
  • Ignite
  • Technology

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has launched e-courses to make Pakistani universities safer and more inclusive.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Ignite
  • Technology

The inclusion of Pakistan in Amazon’s Sellers’ List will boost exports, according to President Alvi

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Ignite
  • Technology

The government has completed its digital policy for all newspaper websites.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

Shibli Faraz reports on PSQCA’s plans to launch an automated system to speed up the standardisation process.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

Teachers in Punjab now have access to an electronic transfer system.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Ignite
  • Technology

SBP proposes changes to regulatory guidelines for global digital marketplaces.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

The Board of Investment has launched an online portal for Special Economic Zones.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

SBP Simplifies the Process of Increasing Overseas Investment for Startups

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

PTCL and GCU have signed an agreement to provide premium ICT services.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • CIO
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

Punjab’s Minister of Higher Education and Information Technology officially launches e-Earn, the province’s largest co-working network.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

Punjab’s Minister of Higher Education and Information Technology officially launches e-Earn, the province’s largest co-working network.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

Quetta will get its first and largest software technology park after a memorandum of understanding is inked.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh will compete in the Free Fire Tri-Series South Asian tournament

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

Pakistan is one of 15 countries where e-waste poses a serious health risk, according to the United Nations.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

Pakistan has over 40 fintech companies, according to a report.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • Technology

Pakistani scientists have been praised for developing the ZECC technology for storing fruits and vegetables

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022
View Post
  • Computerworld
  • DEMO PAKISTAN
  • Ignite
  • News
  • Technology

Pakistan’s own encrypted messaging software is 60% complete, according to a report.

  • Sub Editor
  • April 15, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

about
About
Launched in 1967 internationally, Computerworld Magazine is the oldest tech magazine/media property brand in the world. Today Computerworld (abbreviated as CW) is an ongoing decades old professional publication which in 2014 "went digital”. In Pakistan Computerworld was launched in 1995. Initially providing news to IT executives only, once CIO Pakistan from the same family launched, and took over the domain, CW Pakistan has slowly emerged as a holistic technology news platform reporting everything tech in the country. It remains the oldest running continuous IT media publishing platform in the country and approaching 3 decades of existence, it has been the industry’s biggest benchmark and hopes to continue for years to come.
Read more
Explore Computerworld Sites Globally
  • ComputerWorld.es
  • computerworld.com.pt
  • Computerworld.com
  • cw.no
  • computerworldmexico.com.mx
  • computerwoche.de
  • computersweden.idg.se
  • computerworld.hu
  • cwi.it
  • project.nikkeibp.co.jp
Content from other IDG brands
  • PCWorld
  • Macworld
  • Infoworld
  • TechHive
  • GameStar
  • Network world
CW Pakistan
  • CWPK
  • CXO
  • WALLET
  • Demo
CW Media & all its sub brands are copyrighted to SPIN-IDG Wakhan Media Inc., the publishing arm of NCC-RP Group. Site is designed by Crunch Collective ©️ 2022

Input your search keywords and press Enter.