In the previous post, I spoke about the common ways commuters multitask when driving. Another detriment to long-term effective time management is pushing through on the road so you can get somewhere faster, even though you may be struggling to stay focused.

The National Sleep Foundation says:

• 60% of Americans have driven while drowsy
• 37% admit to nodding off at the wheel

Sleep is an issue in one fifth of traffic accidents and one third of close calls. The most telltale sign for you to be aware of is a car drifting into another lane. Sometimes the driver jerks awake, but other times he or she sleeps until hitting an obstacle.

Among the causes of drowsy driving are working long hours and trying to balance too many things, which cut into available sleep time. A common perception among hard-driving workers today is that sleep is for slackers. Even when someone catches us taking a brief nap to recharge our batteries, we quickly deny that they caught us sleeping, despite the fact that a short break can be a productive technique for an afternoon of focused work.

Pulling off the road for a half hour is a much better time management tool than pushing through. Take a note of the following symptoms while on the road to see if you need to reevaluate your use of time:

• Blinking frequently
• Nodding your head
• Yawning
• Missing familiar exits
• Forgetting about the last miles driven