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Comment by slewis | Hacker News Reader

I have to add a second priority: get enough sleep. For me sleep is more important to my productivity than exercise (though of course exercise helps with sleep).

I don't know if everyone is as dependent on a good night's sleep as I am, but I feel the effects of waking up even 30 minutes too early. Its like night and day (intended).

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My experience is that with ridiculously much exercise, I can do with less sleep and still feel excellent.

However, that usually means trading one hour of sleep for one hour of additional exercise. And I'm lazy, so sleep it is! :-)

The thing I'm jealous at you US people for most of all (except those from Maine and Alaska) is the ability to wake up with the sun each morning. Here in Northern Europe, the seasonal differences are simply too large.

Maine isn't all that far north, actually, especially if you consider that the inhabited part is mostly in the south, along the coast.

I live in Maine now and lived in Alaska before. Actually, with Maine the sunrise is earlier than everywhere else because of how far east the state is, especially if you live on the coast like I do. Of course we pay for it at sunset. In AK the days are short, but for the most part people aren't exercising outside during those months anyhow. Keeping sidewalks plowed seemed to be at the bottom of the list in Anchorage.

Most of the US isn't like that. I live in Seattle now, and the winter days are quite short. Even when I lived in Mississippi, I didn't wake up to sunlight in the winter unless I got up late. It'd be light when I left the house, but not when the alarm went off.

now that i have tablets and smartphones, i accompany them to exercise, sunlight or tech readings. sleep is my only time without a gadget in my hand.

Couldn't click "Up" enough times on this.

The difference in productivity between a day preceded by a good night's sleep and one where I stayed up late then got up early are probably 50-75% for me.

Diet, exercise, weight loss, meditation, walking, music, etc. etc. etc... nothing has as much an effect on my mood and mental performance as sleep does.

I can literally eat butter until my knees buckle and as long as I get a good night sleep I'm good to go the next day.

I know none of this is cool like the people that are energized by a quick 13 mile run or 40 mile bike ride at lunch time... I'm not sure why I was dealt the hand of "sleep is the best thing ever", but I've learned to optimize for that and it has helped a lot.

I concur. If I don't get at least seven, eight hours of sleep the day before, I find myself staring at the screen blearily the next day (at work) or succumbing to a mid-day nap (if the next day isn't work day).

Funny, when I am tired I nap especially on work days. Playing in the park with my little girl tired is less enjoyable but sitting in front of the computer after lunch when I am dead tired is a complete waste of time. Drink a cup of coffee, sleep for 15 minutes and you will be able to work much better. 15 minutes is nothing on a tired afternoon. Just cut out the HN afterwards and you don't even have to feel guilty if you do it on the clock. In fact you just gave your employer 3:45 hours of productive time instead of 4 hours of wasting your salary for him.

Diet, exercise, weight loss, meditation, walking, music have long term cumulating effects. Neglecting them wont impact you the next day, but after a few weeks you ll feel it. And it will take more than a one day to get back into shape.

Sleep for sure is good and important, but in a pinch good 20 minutes of cardio will send enough fresh blood to your brain to energize you for the rest of the day and you can still hit the sack hard at the end of it.

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