Alcohol versus Productivity
This is going to be a slightly tongue-in-cheek post but it raises an issue I can’t be the only one to think about on occasion.
I’m a young guy, and like most young guys I like a drink now and again (and again). Now clearly alcohol can have a very significant effect on one’s productivity. Narrowly drawn this might refer only to the time you spend down the pub which is written off for working on your projects. But that’s fine, everybody has to socialise and kick back.
But then there are the knock-on effects. I read in many places that the most productive people out there are getting up at 5am. I physically can’t get up that early even when I’m sober. Or at least I’d need to go to bed so early I’m not willing to make the trade off. 6.30am is plenty early.
But after a night out I’ve been known to feel somewhat jaded, suffering perhaps from a little cranial throbbing. Even if I do manage to haul my sorry ass out of bed, my focus will be on not falling down rather than reviewing my life goals.
And going out drinking tends to be an evening activity, perhaps after work or on Saturday night. Alcohol has a wonderful way of dilating time such that twenty minutes after you get to the pub it’s midnight. Where did the time go? And now I’m not going to get home until 1am! Not only does that throw you out of whack for the next day, but disrupting your sleep cycle can have a ripple effect on the days that follow too.
So what to do about this ‘problem’?
The hardcore out there will say ‘simple, stop drinking and change your schedule so you’re in bed by 10pm’. Easier said than done. And aren’t you supposed to ‘do what you love’. Well, this is something I love.
But there are some more realistic things you can do, should you feel the need:
- Get up at your usual time anyway. No matter how painful. Even if you have to go back to bed later in the day. In my experience, this has a less detrimental impact on your sleep cycle in following days.
- Deploy the Advanced Hydration System. I developed this at university, much to the amusement of my cohorts. And much to my amusement once it started to catch on. It’s simple, even a drunkard can manage it. Every time you get another drink, get a pint of water as a chaser. You don’t have to drink any less but you do a good job of staying hydrated, reducing the effect of a hangover. And the extra volume means you might just drink a little less booze overall.
- Set an alarm. This combats the time dilation effect. If you know it’ll take an hour to get home from the pub or your friend’s house, set an alarm for an hour before you want to go to bed. When it goes off, you down or donate your drink and run before you can think twice.
- Pre-announce your intentions. Let everybody know when you arrive that you’ll only be staying until a certain time. Best combined with setting an alarm so you remember to go when you said you would.
- Have a reason for leaving. Peer pressure might come to bear if you announce you’re leaving at 10pm. So be ready to say why you’re heading off. I don’t recommend ‘because I don’t want to disrupt my sleep schedule’.
- Choose lower alcohol drinks. If you’re drinking 5% alcohol premium lager all night you’ll feel way worse (and probably spend way more) than if you go for weaker brews. I’m not suggesting low or non-alcoholic alternatives unless you like them. But what I call domestic lager, and some ales, come it at only 3.5 – 4% alcohol. Over the course of the night that’s a lot less alcohol. If you don’t like the brands in this bracket, start with the ones you like and then switch later. If you’re anything like me, you won’t notice the difference by then.
- Drink large volume drinks. Drinking wine or spirits delivers a lot more alcohol in a smaller volume of liquid. Beer by contrast is weaker and comes in larger measures. That means you need to drink a lot more to get drunk, which if you’re sipping all evening should keep you on the straighter and narrow.
That’s it. These tips should at least increase the odds that when your alarm goes off after a night on the shandies, you’re able to jump up, shake off the cobwebs and dive straight into your enviably productive life.
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