Health

How Sleep Deprivation Nearly Cost Me My Life – 5 Reasons Sleep Improves Leadership

By Brandon W. Jones on August 11, 2017 0

If your anything like me, you are always doing everything you can to get the most out of every second. You’re always thinking of ways to get more out of your time. Sometimes that means you even cut into your sleep. In the moment, cutting sleep seems like the best use of your time. Getting a few more minutes of work done is much better and productive than the few minutes you would have slept, right? Wrong! Sleep improves leadership!

How much sleep do you need?

Let’s dig a little deeper. According to the Mayo Clinic, the average adult needs between 7-9 hours of sleep. Eric J. Olson, M.D. explained, “Some people claim to feel rested on just a few hours of sleep a night, but their performance is likely affected. Research shows that people who sleep so little over many nights don’t perform as well on complex mental tasks as do people who get closer to seven hours of sleep a night.”

How Sleep Deprivation Nearly Cost Me My Life - 5 Reasons Sleep Improves Leadership — Photo: Pixabay/RobinHiggins

Negative effects of sleep deprivation

People often think that reduced sleep for a little while won’t have any impact on them because they are resilient. In reality, insufficient sleep has negative effects even if it is just a few nights in a row. Healthline.com explains that:

“Your body needs sleep, just as it needs air and food to function at its best. During sleep, your body heals itself and restores its chemical balance. Your brain forges new connections and helps memory retention. Without enough sleep, your brain and body systems won’t function normally. It can also dramatically lower your quality of life. A review of 16 studies found that sleeping for less than 6 to 8 hours a night increases the risk of early death by about 12 percent.”

When we don’t get enough sleep, there are many negative side effects. According to Healthline.com, some of those are:

Trouble with thinking and concentration
More accidents
Mood swings
Weakened immunity
High blood pressure
Increased risk of heart disease and diabetes
Weight gain
Poor balance

What a bad set of side effects from just insufficient sleep! [Read more…] about How Sleep Deprivation Nearly Cost Me My Life – 5 Reasons Sleep Improves Leadership

Podcast Episode #10 – Have You Experienced the Benefits of Gratitude?

By Brandon W. Jones on August 7, 2017 0

Hello and welcome to the Leadership Done Right podcast, Episode 10 — Have You Experienced the Benefits of Gratitude?

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Have you ever experienced the joy of gratitude? I would like to start this episode by relating the story of Corrie Ten Boom. She was a prisoner in the concentration camps in Nazi Germany. She was subjected to very harsh circumstances and conditions while she was in the camp. khouse.org relates the story as follows.

Thank You For The Fleas

In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells of a time she discovered that God was working even in the most horrific circumstances.

Corrie and her sister Betsie had been imprisoned by the Nazis for hiding Jews behind the wall of their Holland home, and Nazi prison conditions pretty well unbearable. [Read more…] about Podcast Episode #10 – Have You Experienced the Benefits of Gratitude?

How to Develop Your Personal Development Plan Strategy

By Brandon W. Jones on July 26, 2017 0

Hi, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right YouTube channel! In this video, we are going to answer the question, “How can YOU develop the strategy for your personal development plan?”

As mentioned in the last video, whether you are trying to obtain your ideal life, become a highly successful leader, pick up a new skill, develop a new hobby, or improve in some other way, it is very important that you have a personal development plan.

Develop Your Personal Development Plan Strategy

So let’s talk about how you can develop a strategy for your personal development plan. Before anything else, it’s important to understand that your personal development plan is an active living, breathing, and changing plan. It can and should change from year to year. Once this is understood, consider the following.

When you develop your strategy, identify what you want out of life. What does your ideal life look like? What short, medium, and long-term goals will help you obtain your ideal life? By thinking about these questions, you can create a personal development plan that helps you get from where you are NOW, to where you want to be. [Read more…] about How to Develop Your Personal Development Plan Strategy

Tools Of Titans by Tim Ferriss – Book Review

By Brandon W. Jones on May 19, 2017 0

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, And Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss is a great book. In Tools of Titans, Tim Ferriss interviews 107 people from a wide variety of backgrounds. They have many different skillsets and talents. But, they all have one thing in common, they are very successful in their selected discipline.

Tim wrote Tools of Titans with the purpose of it being a resource for people. It is a large book so he doesn’t expect that everyone will read it cover to cover. Instead, people should skim through all of it and read the parts most important and relevant to them. The parts that aren’t as applicable can be saved for another time.

There are three main sections or areas of focus. The purpose of this post is to give you a sample and flavor of what you will find in Tools of Titans. I will give you an overview of Tim’s main areas of focus. [Read more…] about Tools Of Titans by Tim Ferriss – Book Review

Your Health – One Of The Most Neglected Areas In Leadership

By Brandon W. Jones on November 24, 2014 8

What are some of the most neglected areas in leadership? I am sure you have things that come to mind with that question, but I have an answer that may not be what you think. Your health!

I don’t have any concrete statistics to back this up, but I would suggest that personal health is strongly neglected in leadership. On a personal level, I have seen leaders forget to care for their own health and well-being. As the leader, you must take care of yourself before you can help others. So what do you do to take care of yourself? There are five areas to consider.

Mental Health

Medline Plus explains that, “Mental health is how we think, feel and act as we cope with life. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Like physical health, mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.” Be sure that you have a strong support group to maintain your mental health and also take time for yourself. [Read more…] about Your Health – One Of The Most Neglected Areas In Leadership

Take A Leadership Break

By Brandon W. Jones on October 27, 2014 10

Two out of three people don’t take lunch breaks. They eat lunch at their desk each day instead of getting away for lunch. Eating at your desk increases your stress level because you don’t have a chance to get your mind off work. Even just a little break for lunch is enough to get the mental break you need to alleviate stress. As a leader, do you take a lunch break? If you do, do you get away from your office during your lunch break?

Take a Leadership Break

So how does this translate into leadership? As a leader, it is very important to give yourself a leadership break every once and a while. There are three benefits that come with breaks.

Clear Air

When you get out of the office, you get a chance to breathe in fresh air. As you take in the fresh air, you will feel a relief in stress. People generally eat at their desk because they feel stressed and a strong desire to get things done. They hope to be more efficient by working while they eat. This actually has the opposite effect. Taking a break for lunch and getting a breath of fresh air increases your ability to think more clearly. Those who think more clearly can accomplish more throughout the day. [Read more…] about Take A Leadership Break