The surrealist painter, Salvador Dali, had an interesting hack for coming up with creative new ideas.
In the afternoon, he would sit in his chair with one arm draped over the side of that chair holding a key. Beneath that key, there was an upside down plate.
He would let himself drift off until just before the moment he was about to fall asleep. The key would fall from his hand and onto the plate, and the clatter would wake him up, often with a new artistic idea in his mind. Dali called this technique sleeping without sleeping.
Salvador Dali wasn’t the only one who used this technique. Thomas Edison was rumored to use a similar method with a ball baring instead of a key. Beethoven was fond of taking naps in his carriage in order to get new musical ideas.
All of these people knew the benefits of an afternoon nap.
The 20 Minute Afternoon Power Nap is the Best Productivity Technique Ever.
If you consider all the other productivity techniques that are out there, whether the Fineman technique or the Pomodoro technique, or even just organizing your study space, they all involve work, which makes them more of a hassle.
By contrast, taking a nap in the afternoon involves basically no effort whatsoever, and yet has a ton of productivity benefits.
It can help deal with feelings of fatigue and leave you more energetic for the rest of the day.
It can also help with creativity and memory consolidation.
However, if you are napping incorrectly, it could also leave you feeling groggy and waste a ton of your time.
Other Activities That Will Help Improve Productivity and Health
- Enure you’re getting enough sleep at night
- Exercise!
- Get outside and get some sunlight exposure
- Drink enough water
- Ensure your nutrition is sound
Other than that, naps can be one more tool in your arsenal for helping boost your productivity in the middle of the day.
A nap can also help to boost your creativity and might actually help you solve a tough problem.
Time to go take a nap.
