Most common held myth by emerging leaders

A common myth is that emerging leaders believe is that the more they work, the better. They believe it will help them hit their targets quicker. 

Sure, it’s true that at times more hours are required to hit targets. 

But success is dependent on results, not hours.

Ask yourself, are you working hard or working smart?

Some business titans talk about how they work 12-18 hour days with no days off. Yet countless studies show this isn’t sustainable.

We all have a finite amount of quality work we can complete within 24 hours. When we extend the amount of hours we work in a day and don’t spend time recharging our batteries, we have less in the tank the next day to ‘be productive’. 

The 3 best uses of your time outside of working are sleep, exercise and meditation.

In the leading book on sleep, ’Why we sleep’ by Matthew Walker, the research clearly shows that individuals who under-sleep are not as productive or successful. Plus, getting proper sleep is shown to make one better at perceiving emotions.

Can you think of a time you were stressed and you could have treated an colleague with more tact? Or when you were working until the late hours of the day and the focus wasn’t there to get that project done to your standards? 

If you know you need to improve your sleep hygiene, you will find it will be one of most rewarding life changes you can make.  You may not ever want poor sleep again. 

A 2014 study from Stanford showed that when you exercise, you are ready to take on tasks that require creativity, and have the energy to finish them, not to mention the many other benefits of exercise like improving your sleep.

Keep in mind exercise can be any activity that gets your heart rate up that is fun to you.  Think of a team sport you played as a kid or dancing.  If you are more goal driven, set a goal that scares you, commit to habit that will help you get there, and go after it.

A Harvard study stated that practicing mindfulness meditation for an average of 27 minutes a day can increase grey matter in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that plays an important role in memory, learning, self-awareness, compassion and introspection.

Most people say that meditation is too hard.  Why not reframe it.  Is sitting quietly in one spot hard?  Nope.  Don’t try and meditate, just be silent and give yourself some space.  Your technique will improve over time.  Plus, you don’t need good technique to get the benefits.

When we take positive actions to recharge we come back to work refreshed.

If you want to live a longer life, enjoy it, and get more done, reframe what ‘being productive’ means. 

If you change your idea of productivity from work to include activities that you also enjoy, you may be able to work less while getting more done, not to mention living a long and fulfilling life.