Saturday, January 5, 2008, 10:15pm
Sleep Better, Write Better
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received was given to me by a very inspiring high school teacher. Her advice was to keep a small notebook and pen by your nightstand and write down everything on your mind just before you go to sleep. That means outstanding to-dos, ideas, opinions, and anything else that could trouble your sleep. The benefits are two-fold.
1. You’ll sleep better if you have less on your mind. I could sit here and discuss the many scientific studies that echo that statement, but I think you’re already with me on this one. The less your mind has to work before bed, the easier it will be to fall asleep.
2. Your best ideas are the ones you sleep on. Your mind is in a very different state just before you go to bed than it is when you wake up. Hopefully by morning your mind is clearer and refreshed; therefore, if your idea or to-do or opinion still makes sense in the morning, it’s probably a good one.
Picture by Sapphiren.
