My one non-negotiable habit

If I could only pick one habit that’s non-negotiable, it’s getting enough sleep. It’s EVERYTHING.

When sleep suffers, everything else starts to unravel.

I get anxious.

Other habits slip.

I get grumpier.

I’m less optimistic.

I don’t think as clearly.

My energy levels are lower.

I’m less productive.

I start to make poor decisions.

My work is lower quality.

I use my phone more.

The list goes on.

It took giving up alcohol for this to really click with me. I used to think that alcohol was the linchpin behaviour that derailed everything else. But, when I gave it up, I realised poor sleep was just as bad. And then I realised that a big part of alcohol causing problems was that it wrecked the quality of my sleep.

I’ve found getting enough sleep is even more important as you get older. I felt I could push the limits with it in my twenties. It got harder in my thirties. No chance in my forties.

Here is my sleep consistency for the last year, along with my average sleep:

Month	Sleep consistency (6.5 hours)	Average sleep
Feb 2022	50%	6:23
Mar 2022	74%	6:45
Apr 2022	77%	6:45
May 2022	81%	6:58
Jun 2022	73%	6:56
Jul 2022	68%	6:46
Aug 2022	52%	6:26
Sep 2022	83%	7:12
Oct 2022	81%	7:09
Nov 2022	80%	7:15
Dec 2022	87%	7:13

It took a while for me to figure out how to be 80%+ consistent, and to get my average over seven hours. But, I’ve finally managed it. It makes such a difference to how well everything else in life goes.

Here are a few quick tips:

Track your sleep (I use whoop).
Consciously plan your sleep and wake up times (it’s basic math).
When doing 2/, account for being awake for about an hour each night (interruptions, tossing and turning etc.).
When you do get a bad night’s sleep (hey, it happens), try and nap later in the day to offset it.

It’s not rocket science. It takes some effort to get everything dialled in. But, when you do, you’ll never look back.

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