The holidays present a time of fun, exciting get-togethers, but sleep is often unwillingly ignored throughout December into the new year. More after-work activities and rushing around buying up gifts can wear on energy levels. That being said, I’ve compiled 5 tried and true methods for snoozing better when stacking Zs can be elusive on the weekends. Make time for yourself into 2008, be good to your body and you can be sure it will return the favor in folds.

1 - Clear your mind of anxious thoughts

Anxiety is a leading cause of lack of sleep, worldwide. If there are indeed things on your mind, write them down to deal with later. Bad dreams and waking up more than once during the night are signs of not properly clearing one’s head before bed. Deal with worldly thoughts during the day and focus on your goal of rest at night; don’t let them overlap.

2 - Take deep breaths to relax

I swear by this. No matter the situation, in bed or out, deep breathing exercises will always help in calming down.

3 - Rid your bedroom of televisions

Your place of rest should be a personal sanctuary where sleep is the main and only focus. A TV set detracts from this and should be left in a room such as the living space. Orient the objects/furniture in your bedroom to create maximum relaxation and convenience. For more on this, familiarize yourself with Feng Shui.

4 - 20 minute rule in full effect

If you crawl into bed and find that 20 minutes later you’re not asleep, it’s time to read a book or visit the kitchen for a cup of decaf tea. Watching TV or surfing the ‘net on a computer will not help to relax the mental state, so avoid these. It’s all about decompressing analog, not digital.

5 - Let the sun be your alarm clock

Your body has what’s referred to as a “biological clock”. The cycle of the night and sunrise are fantastic tools to align your body’s schedule to. By waking up with the sun on Saturday and Sunday, you’ll arise more naturally and feel increasingly rested each morning. Sleeping in ’til 2pm will induce a groggy, zombie-like state, guaranteed.

No matter how hectic work and personal lives may get around holiday festivities, we need sleep, because without it we cannot properly recharge our bodies and minds. Enjoy the rest of 2007 but consistently make an effort to employ these 5 methods for resting smarter on the week’s end.

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(This is a follow-up to “How to Make and Keep New Year’s Resolutions”)

Last week, I posted an article here at Modern Worker about making and keeping new year’s resolutions. Additionally, I included a list of 10 goals to help get that process of choosing a resolution(s) going.

Being that this blog is lucky and grateful to have a growing readership of thoughtful folks, it was not to my surprise that Kare from MovingFromMetoWe.com added 6 more resolutions. Kudos to her for submitting these inspirational points!

11. Get specific sooner
12. Do first things first
13. Have rewards
14. Take a daily constitutional with someone you love.
15. Give thanks at least five times a day.
16. Collaborate with someone who shares one of your most deeply held values yet who is other wise much different than you

- Kare

I encourage everyone to hop into the conversations here and become part of Modern Worker beyond subscribing

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With the new year fast approaching, it’s once again time for resolutions. Bear with me now and don’t get too discouraged, as I’m here to help make this a more enjoyable process into your 2008.

Remember last year when you swore up and down you were going to (insert resolution that was KO’d by laziness here) and quickly faded that into the sunset of forgotten promises? Well forget it now… all of it! Stand tall and proud, because this year you’ll realize what you set out to do and become a better person.

Instead of haphazardly making new year’s resolutions that you’ll have trouble keeping up with, make more attainable goals now. For instance, I’ve decided to increase my volunteering efforts to at least twice a month next year.

That’s a minimum of 24 sessions over the course of 12 months, coming out to once every two weeks. I know I can do it, I’ve already tailored my schedule for it, and have built up much excitement mentally. Also, this resolution allows for flexibility. If I cannot make it out to volunteering, there is a week between to make up for lost appointments.

If you’re having a bit of a mental roadblock and cannot drum up a resolution(s), here are 10 to choose from that will boost your career while making you all the more happier.

• 1 - Clean off the desktop area every Friday before leaving work.
• 2 - Re-adjust workspace to be ergonomic, once a month.
• 3 - Give a percentage of each paycheck to worthy charities
• 4 - Contribute a percentage of each paycheck to savings/investments
• 5 - Take a 5 minute walk break every work hour
• 6 - Arrive 15 minutes earlier each day
• 7 - Switch out half of your coffee drinks for cups of tea
• 8 - Drink at least 3 cups of water per day
• 9 - Bring lunch at least 3 days a week
• 10 - Take time to get to know co-workers better

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Occasional pressure is part of any job, but how you deal with it is what matters most. Coworkers have shared many stress-busting tips with me over the years and I feel it’s on me now to pass them along to you. I’m a mellow guy, so I rarely have to turn to these, but they’re good to have in the arsenal of tension diffusers.

- Have a cup of water. Water is the essence of life and staying hydrated will help in calming nerves.

- Read a chapter in a book. Or if you’re not much of a novel page-flipper, turn to a favorite magazine. Reading different material other than work, helps to introduce new thoughts.

- Draw a stick figure. Think back to how much fun you had as a child drawing to your heart’s content. Acting childish through sketches boost creativity.

- Close your eyes. It’s far easier to clear one’s mind when the visual sense is shut off.

- Listen to a song. Queue your favorite Tom Jones track and drift off momentarily to a land of the imaginary.

- Eat a piece of fruit. Our bodies need simple sugars to function well. Fruit has these and so much more. The power of naturally-occurring vitamins is uber beneficial.

- Write a note to a friend. On break, take 5 minutes to take out a pen paper. Don’t turn to e-mail; make sure this will get licked, stamped, and mailed.

- Go for a walk. Exercise increases blood flow and iron levels; both of which boost energy.

- Visit a new corner of your floor. Monotony is a leading cause of frustration. Touring the neighboring department will open your eyes to something new.

- Look through a window. A different view (with natural light) will relax the mind.

Now obviously, just one or a combination of these may not completely rid your system of stress. But, you can be sure that they will always lessen the amount of immediate pressure you might be feeling during the day.

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The rumble in my stomach this morning could have been satisfied by some high fiber cereal and fruit at home, but I wanted to arrive early at the office to do some personal organization. The perfect solution appeared to be stopping off for a couple of breakfast tacos from a local shop on my way to work.

Now, keep in mind that I hardly ever even think about eating fast food. You’ll almost always catch me with a banana and green tea in the early hours of the day, as opposed to anything pre-made. That being said, there are times in which I go with perceived convenience because the work I’ll get done in the time saved is worth more to me than the price of paying for someone to make a bite to eat.

After having waited much too long and being overcharged for something I didn’t order, I was on my way from a thoroughly dissatisfying experience. Now, I find myself with a buck less in my pocket than I expected, but correcting their error would further put me in the hole with wanting to get to work extra early.

So, what was I witness to today? I was once again seeing a perfect illustration of the risk one takes when dealing with a lower-quality team of workers in hope of saving time. Sometimes, it makes sense to just do it yourself and be sure of the results. Life can be funny

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