Invisible reason you lose your productivity
You work long hours in consulting. Sleep deprivation makes us dumber. It leads to more mistakes and more stupid work. You must protect your productivity. Nobody will do that for you.
I was a manager on a strategy project.
I noticed that my team started losing productivity. They started working very slowly and making basic mistakes.
I couldn't figure out why.
Actually, the project was going really well. We managed to impress our clients and earn the trust of our partners.
Sometime in the middle of the project, I started noticing some weird behaviours.
Consultants started to look tired. They struggled to concentrate. The quality of their slides dropped dramatically.
This led to more comments, iterations, and wasted time.
It also affected my work as a manager. I had to spend more time providing feedback. I couldn't get anything done at the pace I wanted.
Then, I asked the senior consultant what was going on.
He said the team worked until 2-3 a.m. every single day.
He tried to say it casually, but I could hear his frustration and even a hint of resentment.
I was speechless.
I honestly didn’t know. I myself often left the team room around 8–9 p.m. I knew I needed time to recover to remain productive.
"But why?" I asked the senior consultant.
"We just wanted to impress you," he replied.
At that moment, I remembered myself as a consultant. I often worked hard even when it wasn’t needed. My insecurities were driving me crazy.
Unfortunately, this is a common pattern when consultants work hard where it’s not really needed. They burn their productivity and fall into a negative spiral of basic mistakes, iterations, and new stupid work. Then, the real troubles start.
The key driver is our insecurities. They can drive you crazy, often playing nasty tricks with your mindset, and hurt you.
As a result, I began to closely monitor the team's working hours. I needed my consultants to be fresh and energized. Only then could they produce insightful outputs.
But as a consultant, you won't always have managers who understand this simple truth. That is why you must take care of yourself. Protect your own recovery and productivity. Don't let insecurities drive you crazy.
You simply can't afford to be dumb because of poor sleep in MBB consulting.
If you’re an MBB consultant and want to improve your productivity before it’s too late, let’s talk. We will discuss your pain points, challenges, and aspirations.
Book a Free 1-1 Consultation. No strings attached, just straight answers to your biggest questions.
P.S. You must understand that you bear the full responsibility for your own productivity. If you don’t sleep or get sick because of working hard, nobody will appreciate it, and your partners will blame you for your poor self-management. That’s why you should pace yourself and make sure you recover well, like an elite athlete would do. In this profession, nobody needs sacrifices. Everyone wants only results.