We seem to waste a lot of time worrying, writing and talking about the practices of not getting enough sleep!  
Someone even named Friday, March 17th, as World Sleep Day, without even considering the conflict with the much more important St. Patrick's Day, which, of course, has zero to do with sleep. 


According to a study by the American College of Cardiology, up to 8% of deaths from any cause could be attributed to "poor sleep patterns", while those with healthier sleep habits are less likely to die prematurely. Data from Statista shows that in the US, 39% of respondents said they had suffered from a sleep disorder (problems falling asleep or staying asleep) in the 12 months prior to the survey. To me, vague phrases of "could be attributed", "less likely" and "problems falling asleep" seem to underscore the question of whether the lack of sleep is a real issue, or has this discussion just crept into being a filler when there isn't enough real news to report.

Of course, there is some percentage of deep clinical problems in poor sleep habits, but in general, it's hard for me to understand that among all of our serious healthcare problems, the issue of sleep disorders needs to be high on the list.  Whether good or bad, sleep disorders or not, I've always slept around five hours a night since high school.  It is what it is, and I've never thought about it as healthy or unhealthy since the realities of school and work commanded more attention and enjoyment, and sleep merely gets in the way.

Time is finite

What I do know is that time is wicked finite, and the recognition that life is not a dress rehearsal for what comes next drives me to maximize my use of the available time that I have.  I bring that recognition (sometimes to a fault as an obsession) to my work as a consultant, to my love of the professions of sales and marketing and to my dedication to teaching at Tufts.   

Today for example, just like you in your juggling of planned schedules and unexpected challenges:

• We now have just four more selling days until the end of the Q.
• There are six larger deals for us to close to get to quota, and we're behind 
• Like you, I have a packed day, and just realized I need to commute to be at Tufts at 5.
• Have a critical planning session beginning at 9:00

I also know that on average, every good "A" level salesperson uses only 35% of their paid time actually selling, and the rest of their paid time either totally not available (holidays, sick, vacations) or being very inefficient due to these Big 4 Time Wasters, all of which can be somewhat immediately improved on:

• the lack of formal sales processes
• unfocused and uncoordinated marketing lead gen
• the lack of consistent and tactical skills training 
• the absence of sales plans and playbooks 

As we enter the critical Q2, in my sales planning, the most important quarter of the year, once this week is finished, you might find it useful to review some of our tactical practices captured here in our book on sales planning. 

2023 SALES PLANNING-NONE OF US CAN CONTROL RESULTS!
 

www.derbymanagement.com  
Derby Entrepreneurship Center@Tufts.