Last night the main sewer line at the house backed up around 10:30 PM, which necessitated a call to Roto Rooter. 4 1/2 hours and $354.73 later, the sewer line was clear (plumber: “Don’t use Charmin. It clogs up everything. I know people like soft toilet paper for their ass, but that’s an expensive habit.”) and the clock struck three – which meant that it was literally 124 minutes before the alarm was scheduled to go off.
So this morning I sit very carefully at my desk, ensuring that I don’t work on any systems vital to the company, because two hours of sleep makes you exceptionally prone to critical mistakes – you know, the “hey, did I just format the hard drive of our web server?” kind. Making sure that on my docket for the day is nothing mission critical.
However, extreme fatigue does have its merits. I tend to think a lot more creatively and non-linearly when I’m over-tired, because my brain just operates differently in a low-sleep state. Sometimes really neat ideas that I’d never create fully rested come out, and I jot those down. When I’m rested, they can be refined and tuned up, but the raw materials are still good.
That’s the other important thing – overly fatigued essentially brings with it a variant of attention deficit and short term memory loss, so if you have good ideas, it’s super important to be near an input device – phone, keyboard, notepad, etc. – because those ideas will vanish FAST.
Some thoughts on a Wednesday morning.
Without my glasses on, I see a photo of you holding your eyeballs in place in your skull, and the title “Awaken Your Superhero.” New meaning!
I love that you had the sense enough to actually illustrate such a blog post.
Without my glasses on, I see a photo of you holding your eyeballs in place in your skull, and the title “Awaken Your Superhero.” New meaning!
I love that you had the sense enough to actually illustrate such a blog post.
Chris, I have a feeling that your brain on two hours of sleep functions better than the brains of most mortals on eight.
Good advice, though!
Take care. I hope tonight is uneventful at your house.
Chris, I have a feeling that your brain on two hours of sleep functions better than the brains of most mortals on eight.
Good advice, though!
Take care. I hope tonight is uneventful at your house.
Great, Rick. Now I have the Superman March running through my head. 😛
You know my advice, coffee, lunch, walk, Red Bull!
Great, Rick. Now I have the Superman March running through my head. 😛
You know my advice, coffee, lunch, walk, Red Bull!
Hang in there. Sounds like you had a horrible night, but hopefully today turns around and makes for a better day.
Hang in there. Sounds like you had a horrible night, but hopefully today turns around and makes for a better day.
Chris,
First off thanks for the tip on TP, noted and passed along. Secondly sorry to hear about your issues hopefully they are through with.
However I have a slightly more refined suggestion to keep your wits about you today. Lots of protein, no sugar and frequent small cups of coffee. If you start drinking red bull you’ll end up crashing really hard when the sugar buzz wears off. While nothing will replace the sleep you missed out on, a caffeine nap might do the trick at lunch. Strong cup of coffee and a 20 minute nap, no more than that or you’ll end up in REM sleep and you’re not coming back from that. You should wake refreshed. I wrote an article yesterday as a guide for students trying to stay up and be productive at the same time, the same thing goes for trying to function on reduced sleep.
BTW make sure to take your vitamins you are much more likely to get ill on less sleep. Good luck today
Chris,
First off thanks for the tip on TP, noted and passed along. Secondly sorry to hear about your issues hopefully they are through with.
However I have a slightly more refined suggestion to keep your wits about you today. Lots of protein, no sugar and frequent small cups of coffee. If you start drinking red bull you’ll end up crashing really hard when the sugar buzz wears off. While nothing will replace the sleep you missed out on, a caffeine nap might do the trick at lunch. Strong cup of coffee and a 20 minute nap, no more than that or you’ll end up in REM sleep and you’re not coming back from that. You should wake refreshed. I wrote an article yesterday as a guide for students trying to stay up and be productive at the same time, the same thing goes for trying to function on reduced sleep.
BTW make sure to take your vitamins you are much more likely to get ill on less sleep. Good luck today
Now thats a Sh*tty night. Tonight you will sleep like a baby.
We had the same thing at our house a few months back – my daughter was throwing wet wipes down the toilet. It wasnt pretty what the plumber found!
Now thats a Sh*tty night. Tonight you will sleep like a baby.
We had the same thing at our house a few months back – my daughter was throwing wet wipes down the toilet. It wasnt pretty what the plumber found!
Your notes on being over-tired and creativity are interesting; you might be interested in the ketogenic diet. The idea dates back to the 1920s, though it’s currently under re-examination for epilepsy. In short, it involves creating a starvation state for the brain (when no glucose is available, the brain feeds on ketones–the most common example of a ketone is acetone). The diet deliberately induces fatigue; at present, I haven’t seen any data discussing the creative state, but thought it may interest you all the same.
Your notes on being over-tired and creativity are interesting; you might be interested in the ketogenic diet. The idea dates back to the 1920s, though it’s currently under re-examination for epilepsy. In short, it involves creating a starvation state for the brain (when no glucose is available, the brain feeds on ketones–the most common example of a ketone is acetone). The diet deliberately induces fatigue; at present, I haven’t seen any data discussing the creative state, but thought it may interest you all the same.