When Do You Sleep?

That is one of the top questions I get asked. Often. It’s either that one, or "do you ever sleep?" Same question, different connotation.

My general response is, "I don’t work hard, but I do work long." Meaning, I don’t consider what I do "hard work," but with travel and my personal lifestyle, I have long (sometimes very long) days. That being said, when I first joined my other business partners at Twist Image, I did make a personal promise to myself that I would go to sleep when I was tired and wake-up without an alarm (meaning whenever it naturally happens). With the exception of when I have a super-early morning flight, I’ve stayed the course.

But, there’s got to be more to it than that…

What prompted this thought was something that Chris Brogan blogged about over here: No – I Don’t Sleep. It’s a passionate post where he states:

"my head is always racing. I lie in bed thinking about the future, about communications, and about how I can help people do more with their businesses. It’s a horrible thing. I wish I thought about world hunger or super powers or beautiful parks in the wilderness. I think about this stuff that I talk about all the time. Another reason why it seems that I don’t sleep is that you use your time differently than me. You watch a little TV, and/or you have other pursuits. You do this or that or whatever, and it’s not the same as what i do. I make stuff, all the time."

Some of us (and that includes me) might be considered a workaholic… but then again, maybe not.

Bottom line: I love what I do. I’d much prefer to write (or write this Blog post) instead of watching TV or a movie. I find peace and solace in putting my thoughts out there. It’s comforting and relaxing. I feel the same way about trolling through the Twitter stream – much more fun and relaxing than just sitting on the couch. I also like the hustle (did I just quote Gary Vaynerchuk?). I like the fact that while others are trying to "make it to the weekend," that I’m much more focused on trying to "make it." In the end, I probably get anywhere between 6-8 hours a night, which isn’t bad considering that I "think about this stuff that I talk about all the time," (to quote Mr. Brogan) and that I  never slept that much (even as a kid).

My favourite joke about sleep goes something like this:

• Person #1: How do you sleep?
• Person #2: Oh, I sleep like a baby… I wake up every hour crying.
• <insert drum roll here>

How about you? When do you sleep?