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Power Naps for Productivity?

Sleeping on the job might once have been frowned upon. These days, however, many companies recognize the value of workplace napping for its benefits to employees. Research shows that employees who are allowed to take a "power nap" tend to be productive, more sharply focused with improved memory.
They also have better morale.
Companies can provide spaces to nap, special napping equipment and designated nap times. Give employees the chance to get a little shut-eye. Zappos, for instance, offers a nap lounge for its employees with comfortable chairs, couches, low lighting and a relaxed atmosphere.
“Power naps are very rejuvenating," says Shannon Roy, who is the "happiness hippie" for Zappos. "You can really feel re-charged and ready to take on the day.”
Sleep 101
The best time to nap, say many experts, is in the afternoon, when there's a natural dip in our circadian rhythm. And a good power nap need not be longer than 10 to 15 minutes—just enough to get the batteries recharged and get us up and running for the rest of the afternoon.
Most of us need around seven to eight hours of sleep a night. If we get less than that, we don't function in the best possible way during the day. If we do have a slight sleep deficit at night, however, a quick nap during the day can go a long way toward making up for it.
“If someone is not getting enough sleep at night, napping can be a very good strategy for maintaining alertness during the day," says sleep specialist Thomas Balkin, chief of the department of behavioral biology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
"A short nap can help if you feel sleepy after lunch, which is almost universally experienced to some extent in adults. With a full belly we feel a little sleepy. It’s a relatively minor effect—a little dip in the afternoon—and then alertness is restored.”
Balkin warns, however, that too long a nap—more than 45 minutes to an hour for most people—can interfere with falling asleep at night. He also notes that sleep inertia, or that feeling of being not quite awake for a few minutes after waking, can also hinder cognitive function until it wears off. Overall, however, there are few downsides to napping and plenty of benefits.
"Your productivity is going to be increased for the remainder of the day," said Balkin. "You’ll be working more efficiently and productively than if you hadn't napped."
The napping bottom line
Researchers argue that napping on the job just makes sense, both for employees and for businesses.
"Unlike computers, humans function best with periods of activity interspersed with regular breaks," says health consultant and napping advocate Thea O'Connor. "There's really no reason why a workplace shouldn't become nap-friendly and offer employees this simple, time-efficient, proven energy and performance booster. Especially when so many of us are tired, stressed and time-poor."
There are even companies, like MetroNaps, that provide services and products to help businesses incorporate napping into the workplace. These include a nap station called an EnergyPod and a sleep timer, facilitator and tracker called a SleepWing.
"Humans are pre-programmed for a midday rest just like all mammals," says Christopher Lindholst, co-founder of MetroNaps. "It is a normal part of our daily circadian rhythm." Research has shown that [naps are] beneficial to our short-term productivity and our long-term health.
And naps boost our performance. We have all experienced midday fatigue. Rather than waste time feeling exhausted throughout the afternoon, a brief nap will clear the mind and give you a fresh boost of energy."

By Vivian Wagner

10 Steps to Getting More Done in Your Day

Every day, your to-do list seems to grow. And in this business climate of information overload and constant interruptions, it has become increasingly difficult for small business owners to get anything accomplished. Not to mention, instead of technology increasing your productivity, it often seems to weigh you down. How are you supposed be proud of what was accomplished today and not just be frustrated?
Here are 10 steps to getting more done in a single day. (After you get your cup of coffee, of course.)
1. Do not start the day by checking e-mail, voice messsages or social media feeds. This will suck you in a direction you do not want to go, and is the surest way to get your day off to a bad start.
2. Start by completing two things on your list that must get done today. Do the hard or unpleasant stuff first. Make sure whatever the tasks are, they will have a significant impact on your business and are part of the critical path to other business goals and objectives.
3. Make decisions and take action. Procrastination never pays off, so make the tough decisions first. Say "no"  more often than you say "yes", and don’t even think about saying “maybe.”
4. Deal with every e-mail once. Read an e-mail and take action on it now. Don't save it for later or leave it in your inbox. File it in the appropriate subfolder if it is needed for later reference.
5. Focus on doing one thing at a time. Believe it or not, multitasking can cause brain damage. The brain actually  doesn’t do multiple things at one time, but instead just switches very quickly. This does not improve your overall productivity.
6. Control distractions. Turn off the e-mail and social media notifications, beeps, ringtones and visits to your office. If you need to use a software tool that turns off your access to the Internet, install it. Limit or rotate the information you read.
7. Stay off the Internet, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter unless you have a plan. This is the fastest way to kill your productivity since you can drift on these sites forever. Know why you are using these tools and how it will help your business, and always set a time limit for this activity.
8. Do not enter a meeting without a written agenda and a stop time. And in some meetings, have everyone remain standing. Document action items and assignments, and end early if you can.
9. Delegate to others. Improving your productivity means utilizing the other people in your organization to take full responsibility for their own tasks. Unless you set up an assigned hierarchy, you will always be stuck with all the tasks.
10. Recharge. If technology would have its way, most small business owners would work 24/7.  Set a time limit on work and ensure there are place in your life which are an oasis so you can recharge daily.

Above article by Barry Moltz.

What is Freedom

But what is Freedom? Rightly understood,

A universal licence to be good.