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In this 5-minute clip, Jeff explains how to take advantage of your circadian rhythm for more productive selling. Or click here to view the full webinar recording.
Over the past hundred years, scientists have discovered there are two fundamental concepts that unlock the many benefits of sleep: sleep debt and your circadian rhythm.
Sleep debt refers to the cumulative hours of sleep you've lost over a period of roughly two weeks, relative to your sleep need. The bigger this number, the more likely it is you'll struggle with key behaviors for sales, like decision making, verbal acuity, and empathy. You can read more about that here.
Your circadian rhythm, meanwhile, tells your body when to be active and alert and when not to be. You have two periods during the day when you'll perform at your highest capacity (roughly mid-morning and early evening), a naturally occurring dip in energy (most often in the early afternoon), and then a window at night when you should be winding down and sleeping. Everyone is going to have these peaks and dips at different times (the RISE app can tell you when yours are).
Morning Ramp-Up: As your energy rises, plan the day ahead and check your email. If you drink coffee, have a cup now to shake off normal morning grogginess. "Grogginess" is known as "sleep inertia" to the scientific community. It is natural and can last up to 90 minutes after you wake up. Be sure to avoid coffee as the day wears on. Get sunlight by spending time outside, going for a walk, or shifting your work (or exercise) space near a window.
Morning Peak: Reserve this time for work that demands your highest level of focus, such as critical decision-making, making and practicing presentations, creating new collateral and conducting sales calls, as well as activities that require the most emotional fortitude, like prospecting and dealing with rejection. You’ll have the high energy and cognitive capacity to take them in stride.
Afternoon Dip: Schedule lower capacity, administrative tasks like emails, CRM updates, and expenses, or passive webinar watching for this energy lull. This energy dip is not a hangover from lunch, but a normal part of your circadian rhythm. Listen to your body and take a breather. On the weekends, this is a good time for a workout or household chores, and the best time for a nap.
Evening Ramp-Up and Peak: Take advantage of this peak. Knock out another project that requires a high level of focus or collaborative effort. Do the things you need to do to get ahead in your personal life, enjoy being home with your family or significant others.
Evening Wind-Down: It’s easy to ignore the call to relax in this always-on era of work. But taking the time to unplug before bed will help you get a better night’s sleep and accomplish more the next day. Take this time to ramp down. Relax. Take a hot shower. Try a science-backed relaxation technique like Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). Read.
Limit blue light (which tricks your brain into thinking it's daytime) by switching your devices to “Night Shift.” Wear blue-light-blocking orange glasses if you insist on Netflix (we recommend these). Wrap up your screen time and avoid activities that might trigger your mind with stress or excitement.
The RISE app makes it easy for you to know when your body's primed for sleep by designating a one-hour "Melatonin Window." Also known as your dim light melatonin onset (DLMO), your "Melatonin Window" marks the time of day when your brain produces the most melatonin. This phase of your circadian rhythm is predicted based on sleep times.
What's important to know about sleep is that even though it feels inactive, your brain is actually on overdrive. Everything you learned during the day is being synthesized and concretized; your brain is forming memories and allowing you to glean the insights and acquire the skills necessary to do your job. Sleep should be scheduled, approached, and prioritized like any other of your important sales activities — we'd argue it's the most important one.
Learn more about taking advantage of your circadian rhythm for peak sales productivity.
Learn more about Rise for sales teams.
RISE makes it easy to improve your sleep and daily energy to reach your potential
