How many of you women entrepreneurs would just love to have a good night’s sleep?  I hear it all the time – ‘I’m so tired!” “I’m exhausted!” ‘I just need ONE good night of sleep!”

And you probably do.

What I love is that I have cracked that baby – and I want to give you the simple steps I take to ensure a good night’s sleep. I believe in keeping things simple.

SLEEP IS THE ANSWER!

As entrepreneurs, it takes a lot of energy and focus to achieve our goals. When you go around sleep deprived, it’s not likely that is going to happen. I am a big fan of Dr. Oz and I have learned a lot from him – in particular, about how to improve my sleep habits. So, I want to give credit where credit due. 

Here is what I have learned to change habits and get a really good night’s sleep:

1) NO FOOD OR DRINK AFTER 7:00 P.M.

This is by far one of the easiest to implement and, when I go astray, I feel it! I live my life by the 80/20 rule, meaning that 80% of the time I am very disciplined and have great health habits. Then there is the 20% of the time where I am either on the road, or it’s a holiday weekend, or what have you……..I throw caution to the wind.

However, it never fails – each and every night – when I go by this ‘rule’ of no food or drink after 7 p.m., I am pretty much guaranteed a very restful sleep. Try it – you’ll definitely like it.

2) NO WORKING ON ANY TYPE OF ‘DEVICE’ IN THE EVENINGS.

You know what I mean by this! That bright glare from the computer screen or the I-pad or I-phone is trouble. It’s critical to give your eyes and your brain a chance to transition as you get ready for bed. (Now, as I mentioned above, there are always exceptions and, for me, that is on Monday night when I am watching Dancing with the Stars and tweeting/texting with my friends about it. That goes on till 10 p.m. but I’m ok with that!)

It’s also important to get into the habit of disconnecting from work at the end of the work day – whatever that is for you. For me, it’s 6 p.m. Done. Finished. (80/20, remember!). I like to transition by having a great home-cooked meal (yes, I do that, just for me!) – and then will go for a bike ride, or read a book, or just sit on my front step and enjoy the people walking by on the sidewalk.

The few times I end up working into the evening on a project or as a guest on a tele-class, it stimulates my brain too much. I am unable to quiet my thoughts – and it really creates mental chaos when I just want to crawl into bed and turn it all off.

So get into the habit of disconnecting from work – transition – go have some fun – give your brain a break. You’ll thank me for it!

3) CREATING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR SLEEP.

My bedroom is equipped as per Dr. Oz’s advice. No TV/radio or any other type of entertainment ‘apparatus’ in there. No digital clock. I keep the room very cool and dark and quiet. I replace my pillows every 2 years – I love having a good pillow! And I certainly do NOT have my I-phone anywhere near my bedroom. It goes on the charger in my home office at night – and I don’t pick it up again till the alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m.

4) REGULAR ROUTINE

I typically am heading to bed at 10 p.m. every night – and the alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. – I get a full and decent night’s sleep and many times I am awake before the alarm even goes off. I most often wake up refreshed and ready for the day.

I begin my day with exercise. On weekends, when I am working from my home office for the up-coming week, I plan my menu, get the groceries to support that, and prepare healthy meals on a daily basis. Good nutrition plays a big part in sleeping well. That, combined with exercise, is a winning strategy.

5) ON THE ROAD

I travel at least one week out of each month. I follow all these same steps when I am on the road. Keep in mind the 80/20 rule listed above – there are occasions when I will join my colleagues for a late meal (because of meeting schedules) and have a glass of wine. And you know what? I ‘pay’ for it each time. I am coming to the conclusion that it is just not worth it – I value my sleep too much.

But I do exercise, make wise meal choices, get to bed as close to 10 p.m. as possible, keep the room cool, etc. etc. etc.

I KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU ARE FEELING SLEEP DEPRIVED. You’ve got to change that – it really does impact your ability to grow your business, work productively with clients and, for that matter, to make lots of money.

(And, by the way – how much fun are you to live with? Just sayin’………)

My question to you is – what step will you implement today?

We’d love to hear! Please share your thoughts!