Given how important sleep is to your health and emotional well-being, it makes sense to monitor your own schedule and make sure you aren't operating at a loss.

"Take time for family or for whatever your passions are. If you’re mentally relaxed, your work will be more effective," says astrophysicist Charles Danforth.

"Attention is our way of devoting a limited resource (our time and energy) to the most important information. By almost any measure, productivity hinges on this most basic of skills," says G. Andrew Mickley, professor of psychology.

"Conflict over science and issues can be beneficial to productivity and development. Conflict over working styles and personalities can be destructive," says John Baldoni, an Ann Arbor, Michigan, management consultant.