How were your hours in bed last night? No, that?s not one of the questions people are asking in this new age of cellphone camera intrusions and graphic MMS messages. It?s part of the sophisticated surveys to decide which are the best cities to live and work in.

Bert Sperling ? known for studies like the Best Places to live, work, play, and retire ? has just brought out a study on the 50 Best US Cities to Sleep in. That?s literally what it says. According to the study, there is a clear correlation between the number of hours of peaceful sleep and factors such as the employment rate and commute time. The quantum of sleep goes a long way in making a city a Best Place to Work in. (Incidentally, the 10 cities with the worst sleep problems are Detroit, Cleveland, Nashville, Cincinnati, New Orleans, New York, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco and St. Louis, in that order. They sleep much better in Washington, Chicago and Boston ? which make it to the top 10 list.)

We don?t have such detailed surveys in India. What passes off as studies of Best Cities to Work in are casual market research exercises of small samples. ?I know of one study which went to a few Mumbai colleges and asked the graduating students where they would prefer to work,? says the CEO of a market research firm. ?Forget the fact that the results would inevitably be skewed towards Mumbai. It is unreasonable to expect people to compare cities that they have not even visited.?

This lack of discipline ? or a bid to get some sort of results at the lowest cost ? is what makes for so many absurd findings. One survey will find Calcutta right on top; it doesn?t figure on the list in the next.

But, for any jobseeker, the city he will work in is one of the most important decisions he will make. It often ranks even higher than the company he wants to work for. The best thing for him to do would be to trash the lists that emerge from research firms without a pedigree and start analysing the situation from first principles.

?For many people, moving to another city is simply not an option,? says Mumbai-based HR consultant D. Singh. ?They have too many local ties and responsibilities. Many of them will have to sacrifice career progress for location.?

So first you have to sit down and decide whether you can afford to move. The pluses are possibly a promotion, higher pay and a better standard of living. On the other side are a host of family and personal issues and the headaches that go with moving base.

These having been considered and the die cast in favour of finding a better city, the problem is to find one.

Each city has its own attractions. Look at the stereotypes. Mumbai is always on the go; but somewhat inhuman. Calcutta is warm; but you have to opt out of the rat race. Bangalore is ideal if you are a techie; but the infrastructure sucks. Delhi is for fixers; go there if you want to rise in life but are not prepared to go through the mill for it.

There are a host of other factors. Look at the sophisticated methodology some firms employ to identify best cities. This is eventually a decision you have to take for yourself. Spend some time on it. You?ll get a good night?s sleep later.