I Took a Nap, Because Arianna Huffington Told Me To

I was excited to hear Ms. Huffington speak. She has built quite an empire, after all. Yet, I didn’t know what to expect from her presentation – perhaps her own story of entrepreneurial success. What I did not expect to hear about was the glorious benefits of sleep, or more specifically, the need to reverse our nation’s culture of corporate burnout.

If you’ve ever read Arianna’s own blog post, “How to Sleep Your Way to the Top – Literally,” then you are probably already familiar with her thoughts on the matter. But, just in case you haven’t, allow me to share some of the more notable points with you. In this piece, she points to NY Times article in which it is stated that roughly 41 million Americans, or nearly 1/3 of the adult, working population, get 6 or less hours of sleep each night. Take into consideration that science shows at least 7-8 hours as optimal, and you’ll begin to understand why this is a big deal. In her own words, “creativity, ingenuity, confidence, leadership, [and] decision making” are all heavily impacted by the amount of sleep we get. 

What does this have to do with BlinkJar? 

The fact is, most of us push ourselves too hard nowadays. We operate on too few hours of sleep, sacrifice time with family, and give up on activities we once enjoyed, all in the name of success, never realizing that we may actually be impeding our success. Fortunately, companies such as Huffington Post and HubSpot have recognized this trend of corporate burnout and have designed their culture to alleviate it. On a local level in Baton Rouge, LA, BlinkJar is doing the same thing. 

At BlinkJar, we have a culture that is focused on wellbeing, one that recognizes that we are more productive and deliver better work when we are happier. After all, isn’t a company only as good as its employees and the quality of work they produce?  Inbound marketing in particular requires our best. We are developing the brand, voice, and reputation for clients who have invested in us. They have trusted us with one of their most precious assets: their business. Don’t we owe them the best work possible? 

Thanks to our culture, we’re able to do just that. We work hard, but we’re allowed to make our own personal wellbeing a priority as well. It’s what keeps us motivated, and quite honestly, it’s why we’re all here. We love what we do, but we’re also able to do it in an atmosphere we enjoy. It all adds up to a better client experience.

What does this have to do with your business?

Of course, this may all sound well and good for an inbound marketing agency. Those internet guys are a little crazy anyway, right? I mean, think of Google. They have slides (WEEE!!) in their office for goodness sake! But studies are showing that corporate culture truly does matter and is very much tied to your bottom line, regardless of the industry. In fact, a combined study by several universities of 759 businesses in 17 different countries found organizational culture is the “single greatest factor in the success of innovative companies.” That’s huge!

A study by Harvard Business School professors uncovered the same results, determining that those companies with a focus on corporate culture fared far better than their competitors. We’ve seen it time and time again: the most inspiring stories of true success nearly always come from environments that also offer inspiring culture. 



Granted, the culture of your organization won’t be the same as that of the Huffington Post, HubSpot, or even BlinkJar. It shouldn’t. It should be unique to you. However, the benefit that you stand to gain from happy and inspired employees is immeasurable. So, let’s all take a little advice from Arianna Huffington. Relax, slow down, and take a nap. You’ll be glad you did.