Alisa Isaac, when we first were married, saw that I was often tired. I said, “I’m the owner of a business. People need to see me leading the way, putting in the hours, arriving first, leaving last.” Alisa said:
There are 24 hours in each day. You need 10 hours for getting into, being in and getting out of bed, ensuring you the minimum amount of sleep you need. That leaves you 14 hours out of bed. From that 14 hours, you need to spend three hours with your family, so that you can take your meals with your family and generally know who they are and be known to them. That leaves you 11 hours to offer to the outside world. Go ahead, work like a pig for 11 hours. I hope you like this work. I hope it makes you happy. I hope it makes money.
But don’t ever work for a 12th hour and think it comes from nowhere. It comes either from your failing health or from your failing marriage.
That’s 77 hours I can offer to the outside world — or 66 hours, if I take a day off each week.
So, for some 18 years, I’ve been well rested, more or less. (That’s what happens when you marry someone smarter than you are.)
Tired people are all around me. Just look how they drive.
Watch out! Wake up, dude! Get some sleep!
Need time to sleep? Turn off your TV!