Are you looking after your wellbeing? Richard Jolly shares why being mindful of three concepts could improve your work and your life.

3 reasons to stop, think and sleep

Stop

ThinkSleep

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In our complex, technology-enabled lives, one of the hardest challenges is protecting our thinking time. Most executives are connected to their smartphones from the moment they wake up until they are lying in bed checking their emails at night.

We need to regain our focus to succeed.

Take a holistic approach to yourself

Stop, think, sleep

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Stop, think, sleep

Stop

We need calm, mindful thinking time. To achieve that, consider three wellbeing concepts: stop, think and sleep.

3 reasons to stop, think and sleep

ThinkSleep

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Stop, think, sleep

Stop

1. Stop

You’re busy. Are you prepared to put on the brakes?

Based on 10 years of executive interviews, I’ve found that 95% of people suffer from ‘hurry sickness’ – an understandable reaction to a world that’s increasingly complicated and chaotic.

Getting things done feels good: our brains reward us with a hit of dopamine. But if you continue at your rate of busy it will affect your career and your health.

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Stop, think, sleep

The act of thinking is a lifestyle choice, and one that improves brain health. The brain is the place that generates people’s thoughts, feelings and movements. It’s also the home of ideas.

Carve out time to think. Figure out when you have your best ideas. What time of the day is it? Is it before eating? Or after the gym? The time you have will only get more squeezed and the problems you need to solve will only get more complex. Optimise your thinking time. Now.

2. Think

Stop

Think

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Stop, think, sleep

No one can think without sleep. But it’s hard to achieve. To prepare yourself physically for a challenging expeditious world you must take care of your wellbeing. Contemplate the fact that the amount of sleep you’re getting might simply not be enough.

How much sleep is enough to make you sharp? And how much is too much to make you slow and groggy? It takes time to test.

3. Sleep

Stop

ThinkSleep

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If sleep increases happiness, thinking builds productivity and stopping supports smarter decisions, why are people still bragging about their terrible habits? Because they support the outdated idea that if you’re busy, you’re important.

Make sure you’re not too busy to stop, in too much of a hurry to think and too stimulated to sleep. Senior executives should be role models of behaviour, be passionate about their work and live according to their true beliefs.

Be a role model

Stop, think, sleep

Richard Jolly is an Adjunct Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School.

The full blog post was published on London Business School Review online

Visit the website: www.london.edu/lbsr