Day 107 of writing every day.
The pollen allergies continue but I felt like I slept well. I cleaned my bedding and tossed out an old sheet that had worn out. I even changed the pillowcase and used the lint roller to clean the futon and drywall. The blanket got a good whacking outside to clear it of dust and whatever before getting the lint roller.
JS React isn’t that simple and a day of semi-cramming feels pretty overwhelming with all the new information my brain is trying to process and digest. However the advice of many that say when you feel stuck, is to go take a nap or go to sleep.
I woke up feeling a lot more confident about the content compared to the day before, and I’d say that even a short nap during lunch time between the morning and afternoon lessons helps too.
Naps here and there help improve productivity and increase alertness for many. I say this from experience and there are many out there who share the sentiment, perhaps backed by scientific evidence too. I mean why try and force yourself to stay awake while half asleep when you start dozing off at work?
A short 10-15 minute nap could have you up and alert for the remainder of the work day. You’ve probably done next to nothing (if not made unacceptable errors) trying to stave off sleep as you nod in and out of consciousness for a good hour or two. Sometimes we delude ourselves into thinking that more coffee or some sugary energy drink will get us through the rest of the day. I’d dread having to be on the road with people driving in that kind of state of alertness at the end of the day.
“Sleeping on the job” has such negative connotations that doing so seems to be as bad as skipping work or disappearing off somewhere while on the clock. If you’re sleeping, you’re being lazy and unproductive is probably the attitude that has been beaten into so many from a young age. No teacher has likely ever praised a student for sleeping in class and most students that do dare sleep probably just don’t care about class enough to be engaged in the first place.
Which reminds me that people who sleep that aren’t necessarily tired are just being properly engaged or are just not in the right place for them. But then there are people who genuinely are lazy and don’t want to work. In the end it’s best to assess every person individually instead of grouping everyone who dares sleep or nap as lazy and unproductive.
Wrapping things up, I don’t think anyone should feel guilty about taking some time to sleep and give their brains and bodies a chance to recharge and reboot. I hope more cultures will embrace a more free and relaxed outlook on work in the sense that sleeps and naps are part of the daytime cycle for many, and that forcefully forbidding or denying it might do more harm than any good. We shouldn’t be slaves to the clock but rather be more conscious of the changing seasons and our bodies internal rhythms.
Thanks for reading!
One Chance Works 