Most people think that to get ahead, one must reach the point of near exhaustion before achieving success. But this type of mentality has resulted to alarming stress levels, anxiety attacks, heart ailments, and even strokes in many workers.
But how does a person become successful without putting in hours of hard work? The Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington told CNBC that this type of mentality when it comes to work has cost a lot of people their health, and even their lives.
Huffington herself knows the repercussions of working too hard. Back in 2007, the author collapsed after working 18-hour days building her news website. Upon waking up, she found herself lying in a pool of blood with a cut over her eye and a broken cheekbone.
The author is not the only one who has suffered due to overwork. In Japan, there have been reported instances of people who have had serious ailments—or even died—from working too hard. There is even a Japanese word for death by overwork: karoshi. By 2015, claims of karoshi had risen to a record high of 2,310, according to the BBC.
In order to prevent this from happening, workers must learn how to work smart. Huffington gave some tips on how to boost productivity without burning out, and the 66-year-old said that it all starts with getting a good night’s sleep.
“When we take time to sleep, recharge, we are more effective as entrepreneurs, as leaders,” said Huffington. “Our cognitive performance improves. We make better decisions.”
The author said that people should definitely keep the phone out of the bedroom. Huffington said that keeping a smartphone within reach in the bedroom is one of the worst things workers can do because people have a tendency to check emails, text messages, or social media posts when they can’t fall asleep.
Huffington also said that having a good breakfast is key to being more productive during the day. She suggests not just “grabbing something” to eat, but sitting down and enjoying the most important meal of the day.
Lastly, the businesswoman said that workers should take breaks during the day, especially for meals. Huffington said that taking breaks or “pauses” are essential for keeping stress levels low and for better productivity.
For more, check out Jobs & Hire’s report on career lessons you can learn from “Hidden Figures.”
