6 Secrets to Surviving on Little or No Sleep

Regardless of the industry or size of the company, every
entrepreneur will face a fight against a tired mind and
body.
Founders often justify burning the midnight oil, as this is
their time to create something meaningful and sleep is
something that can come later in life – after these
valuable years of innovation are behind them. But this
thought process isn't necessarily beneficial to the
company, as lack of sleep can cause people not to think
(or function) properly. I should know.
I started OrigAudio , a portable audio products company,
with co-founder Mike Szymczak while working a 9-to-5
job as a marketing coordinator for JanSport. As soon as
the "workday" was over, I began plugging away on
OrigAudio until about 4 in the morning, only to wake up
at 7 to get ready for work. I often caught myself emailing
the wrong people, ordering too much inventory and
passing out while working on the couch more frequently
than sleeping in my bed. This continued for nearly a year
before I was able to put the "safe job" behind me to
focus on OrigAudio around the clock.
Related: 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Sick Days
During my journey, I’ve learned several lessons to help
battle through the long hours and endless days that are
part of the life of an entrepreneur.
1. Get your catnaps in. A catnap, or a quick 20 to 30
minute nap, can be an entrepreneur's best friend. I
wouldn’t recommend revolving your sleep schedule
around this sort of Polyphasic sleep pattern but
occasional 15-minute power naps can give you a boost
in energy and help you to power through another few
hours.
2. Delegate tasks to others. We want to do it all on our
own, and we often do, but conquering the world takes a
team. Utilize co-workers, friends, and even family
members (if you are in a tough spot). As we’ve built our
team at OrigAudio, I’ve been able to rely on my staff to
complete tasks that I would otherwise be pulling an all-
nighter to finish. Learning how to let go of certain tasks
is a key to growth and to allow you to focus on more
important matters.
Related: Entrepreneurs, Say Goodbye to Sleepless
Nights
3. Never drop cash after midnight. Making decisions
that involve purchases after midnight will wreak havoc
on your business. Also, try to avoid make purchasing
decisions when you are struggling to stay awake, and
double check important decisions before submitting
them. Save vital decisions for your peak times of the
day.
4. Prioritize your responsibilities. You can’t work 24
hours a day. Prioritize what you have to do when you
are getting to the point of exhaustion. Focus on things
that need to get done, and wait to answer non-urgent
emails until the next day.
5. Determine the minimum amount of sleep needed to
function. The smallest amount of sleep I can get while
still being productive is three hours. If I can’t get at least
three hours of sleep, my time is better spent powering
up with a meal and working through the night. Know
what the minimum amount of sleep you can still function
with is and make an effort to allow yourself that time.
6. Utilize travel time. Travel is a big part of my job.
While other entrepreneurs use travel time to sleep, I use
it to work. Utilize flight and transit time by taking care of
non-Internet related tasks. For instance, I will turn
Outlook email in offline mode and get through my entire
list of emails in order to send them when I get to the
hotel and then go to sleep.
Those tough nights of two to three hours of sleep are
now far behind me. I now get to enjoy the luxury of 5
hours of beauty sleep a day -- well, most days that is.
While these tips have served me well over the past five
years, find what works for you.