Let’s face it: it’s easy to be sleep-deprived.  In our society of smart phones and wireless connectivity we can work anywhere and anytime.  It’s no secret that your perceived importance at work often is commensurate with the amount of sleep you sacrifice to do your job.  We wear our lack of sleep like a badge of honor.
    
     According to the National Sleep Foundation of Washington, D.C. 45% of us say that we’ll give up sleep to get more work done.  So, if you want to be like everyone else skip the sleep and do more work.  But if you want to set yourself apart quit bragging about the little sleep you are getting.
    
     It used to be that the typical CEO was up until the wee hours of the night reading and responding to emails and would get up in the early hours of the morning for a conference call.  That is not the case anymore.  When Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, revealed in the Wall Street Journal that he gets at least eight hours of sleep each night, the business world was shocked.  Soon the trend began to reverse itself and the Wall Street Journal reported that many other high-level executives claimed the “right” to a full eight hours of sleep.
    
     Be intense, work hard, but don’t skimp on your sleep.  The new status symbol is sleep.  Start bragging about getting a full eight hours of sleep and watch your coworkers anguish in envy!