According to the folks at  MakeUseOf, “The time has come where we all make promises to ourselves that we’ll be better, harder, faster, and stronger by the end of 2014. Twelve months is a long time, though, and it can be easy to lose steam over such a long period. What can you do about it?Our approach: break the year down into months and dedicate each month to a particular change. This method lets you internalize one change at a time before moving onto the next one. Front loading all of your resolutions together is just a recipe for being overwhelmed.A common resolution for most working people is to be more productive. If you do it right, by the end of the year you’ll be doing more work in less time!”

February’s Bad Habit: Sleeping Too Little

Common knowledge says that the human body needs 8 hours of sleep to get a good rest during the night. The truth is that each person is different — some people do need 8 hours, but others may only need 6 or 10 hours. You probably know how much sleep your own body needs — the trick is to make sure you get it.

People tend to stay up until they feel sleepy, then go to sleep. The “proper way” to sleep is recognize how much sleep you need, then go to bed for that many hours before you need to wake up. Don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s rest. You’ll feel better and your mind will be sharper.

Solution: Go to sleep before you feel tired. Adhere to a regular sleep schedule and stick to it no matter how badly you may want to deviate. SleepyTime is great for finding the right time to fall asleep and wake up to maximize your rest. There are also apps to help you sleep better. TrackThisForMe is good for tracking and visualizing your sleep — the results may surprise you.

This excerpt is from 12 Productivity Habits To Finally Hack Your Life In The New Year by Joel Lee, MakeUseOf, Jan.1, 2014