Alcohol’s Damaging Effects to Your Productivity

Okay, let’s get one thing straight: alcohol does improve your ability to think creatively and ‘outside the box’. Many musicians, artists, and generally professionals who need to think creatively often use alcohol to allow them to free their mind and experiment with things they have not done so before. However, what alcohol does affect is productivity; and more precisely, your ability to get things done in a timely manner.

This is how:

  1. Sleep Disruption
    Most people already have a tough enough time trying to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night, and alcohol makes it even worse because of its serious effects on the body’s ability to enter the deep part sleep. Deep sleep is necessary since it is what makes us feel so refreshed and energized as we wake up. You might have experienced this as well. If you’re out all night drinking, even if you have slept 10-12 hours the next day, trying to let the alcohol pass, as you wake up, you will still feel extremely fatigued and lethargic.
  2. Health Issues
    Even if you’re a casual drinker of alcoholic drinks, there are health issues that arise from alcohol intake. It’s been linked with cardiovascular disease, depression, and even high blood pressure – all of which can greatly affect your drive and motivation, and therefore, your ability to get work done on time. The bigger problem is that many alcohol drinkers may already be experiencing chronic fatigue, but do not know that their alcohol is the cause.
  3. Mental Issues
    While alcohol does not really kill brain cells, alcohol does lead to impaired memory, poor coordination, and slower reaction times. Basically meaning, that whatever you try to undertake, you will take longer than most other people. While these mental issues do go away, it takes time. And so, if you really want to stay productive, you’d avoid alcohol altogether.

Alcohol isn’t all bad. However, if you’re serious about getting things done, you might want to time your alcohol intake. If you have something that needs done tomorrow, don’t drink tonight. If you know you need to be mentally focused since a big project is coming up next week, stay off of it. You’ll find you’ll eventually start to be able to take better control over your life.