8 hours of sleep = 5x productive

For the last 10+ years, the feeling of being in a rut has been a constant companion, a gnawing sensation that I just couldn’t shake off. A rut, to me, means not doing my best, and I’ve found myself in this state more times than I can remember. The only way out? Improving my life by understanding where I can grow. By learning more, seeing more, traveling more, eating healthier, and taking in more nutrients. But in this whirlwind of self-improvement, I overlooked something crucial: sleep.

I never considered sleep as something that required improvement. Elon Musk, a super-rich individual, only sleeps for 6 hours. So, why should I, who is constantly looking to optimize my life, need to sleep more and lose those precious hours? It didn’t make sense.

However, when I started mapping out my mood, a pattern emerged (with help from BetterIdeas YouTube). I noticed that I was generally more productive when I got more sleep. The closer I got to 8 hours of sleep, the better control I had over my mood. I was able to handle my lows and highs better, and I was successfully checking off tasks on my to-do list.

This year, I learned something new: sleep significantly improves my quality of life. It was a revelation, one of the many that I’m sure are still to come. I recall reading in Atomic Habits about the importance of consistency over intensity. Now, I understand it better. Skipping 2 hours of sleep may give me more time, but it also leads to 4 hours of being in a rut and feeling awful. So, is it really worth it? The answer is clear now.