Health
In my first post I mentioned as my 2nd commandment that “I
shall not sacrifice my health.” I did not go into all the details but for me
that means more than just being careful not to get sick or taking care of myself
if I become sick. It should also include maintaining a healthy diet and eating
habits, which I have managed to do so far, as well as working out occasionally.
I do not work out as often as I would like but I generally do something pretty
physically strenuous at least once or twice a week at the moment. This is not
ideal, but I would like to maintain that as I progress and I generally feel
that working out keeps me from getting sick, so I think it is in my best
interests to be consistent with that.
There is one other thing that affects my health that I haven’t
really addressed yet and I think I should. It might not be obvious but most of
my creative pursuits involve creating or working on something that is on the
computer. Many studies have been conducted on how much time people should be on
the computer and most of them involve typical work usage (8 hours during a day)
plus an encouraged typical minimal 1-2 hours of usage at home. There is
evidence that extended use too close to the screen can damage eyesight and that
if you don’t take consistent breaks you could get carpel tunnel. There are also
the possibilities of back strain if you sit weirdly in your chair and hemorrhoids
are believed to be caused by a combination of things, one of which includes
prolonged sitting. So the moral of the story is that everybody should try to
not be on the computer all the time.
Since I am awake roughly 20 hours instead of the average of
16-17, it would be very bad for me to use all of that time for computer related
activities. As you can imagine, most of
my creative projects require a computer. In order to head off this problem I
have so far been balancing everyday errands, some work duties and other non
computer related projects with more of the computer heavy work. Yesterday I actually
spent time cleaning the Vanton (Van + Danton = Vanton) which severely needed to
be cleaned, especially after my road trip to Yosemite this past weekend. I also
repaired some broken things in the house and started reading the ARE (Architect
Registration Exam) review manual. I also typically read books or plays as well
as write in a physical journal or notebook and I have been building furniture
in the CalPoly fabrication shop lately, so that is also something I would like
to continue doing. There is certainly a benefit of having a dog in that I usually
take him out on walks a few times a day. And I may sound like a house-husband
by saying this but I like getting the chores and things done during the day so
that even more of my time with Lizzy is spent enjoying each other’s company
instead of stressing out about things that still need to be done.
While I did not include physical activity/avoiding computer
overuse on my original list of commandments, I think it should perhaps be the 11th
commandment. It is one that I try to abide by most of the time but didn’t quite
make it into the top 10, so it doesn’t need to happen all the time. I will
continue to try using at least 1 entire block’s worth of time per day on activities
that do not involve a computer.
Dreams
I still haven’t had any memorable dreams upon waking up from
either the naps or the REM sleep. What is really weird though is the cognitive
awareness that occurs while I am napping, particular during my first and second
naps. It is as though I did not sleep at all because my brain never really stopped thinking about something. But I certainly feel more well-rested than when I
have slept only 3 hours during a day in the past, without the naps. I must be
successfully napping, but I don’t recall ever napping in the past yet basically
feeling awake the entire time. Again, this me be the problem I mentioned yesterday
of observing my own habits so closely that I inevitably affect the
interpretation of my results. I will keep making note of it.
Another note regarding my rest during naps is that my
upstairs neighbor seems to like playing music directly above my bed midday. He
or she usually seems to turn it on right when I lay down for my first nap each
day. And it’s not something soothing either, it like techno dance music or
something with a reverberating bass beat every second “BOOM BOOM BOOM
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM” Who listens to that at 11:00 on a weekday? As frustrating
as this is the music though, it is actually relatively low. I just have the unfortunate
luck of being located directly below where he or she must work. And I can’t
really criticize someone for playing music at 11:00am. Most people are no
longer sleeping. To resolve this issue, I bought a couple pairs of industrial
strength earplugs. I’ll be keeping one pair in the car, in case I need to nap
on the road and one pair for daytime naps.
I used them yesterday and finally silence. The only thing I
could hear was the alarm on my phone and my own breathing or heartbeat. The earplugs
created a very Zen-like state. It reminded me of being underwater. It was very
peaceful, even if I could hear my own internal sounds. In fact, I enjoyed
noticing my heart rate slowing as I fell asleep. It was very relaxing. I think
the $3 I spent on the earplugs were a worthwhile investment.
Difficulty
So far, I still have not had much difficulty. I am waiting to
repost the chart from yesterday, which I am continuing to update each day. But
I am still putting entries in daily and my tiredness when waking up seems to be
balancing itself. The only minor difficulty so far was that I finished cleaning
the Vanton yesterday at about 4:29. So instead of going home to nap, I just
napped in the car under a shady tree with the windows open. And when I woke up,
I was actually close to where Liz works, so I was able to pick her up. It was
actually a very peaceful nap. I imagine
this will still get more difficult but I really think my years of little to
no sleep in Architecture have help me transition into this lifestyle quite
easily thus far.
Creations
I wanted to focus the entry on what changes occur with
regards to how quickly I can finish a creative project. My friend Alex (http://www.alexcoulombe.com/) actually
asked me to compare a project I’ve worked on in the past and the amount of time
it took (in terms of hours per day over how many days) to a project I am working
on during this experiment. While I like his proposal, the difficultly in
accurately creating this chart lies in the variety of the projects I have been
working on. How do I compare the time it took me to build a bed frame to how
long it takes me to make an architecture rendering? Even when comparing similar
things I see some potential issues. How long did it take me to write one play
versus another? Even though they are the same format, they are also difficult
to compare because there are so many varying factors. As I move forward I will
look for ways to compare specific projects that I am doing now to ones I have
already done, but for now I will focus on productivity in a more general sense.
Productivity
How do I perceive
my productivity levels during the Normal (Monophasic) Sleep pattern I used to
follow as compared to those same levels during my Current (Polyphasic) Sleep
pattern?
Before I dive into explaining the graphic I want to explain
how I typically work on any project or responsibilities. There is a small of me
that is an early riser who begins cranking out work on a project early. But
this typically fades if there is a substantial amount of time between said early
morning and the deadline, perceived or actual. Then, like many people, I procrastinate
or get distracted and off task but eventually I get back into a high-powered
productive trance where I could seemingly complete almost any amount of work in
a window of only a few hours. I think that work cycle is relatable. Even if you
are not an early riser, most people experience some kind of procrastination followed
by an intense amount of working fueled by that looming deadline and all the
pressures that come with it.
When I have long chunks of time I actually tend to be less
productive with that time. There is little to no pressure and binge watching
the entire 4th season of Arrested Development on Netflix might look more
appealing to me. But when I have less time I work more efficiently. I’m going
to actually refer to my friend Alex again with a short story that involves him.
Back when we were in college together we created a theater group for people
with busy schedules. In fact it started out specifically for architecture
students. It is called Warehouse Architecture Theater (WhAT for short) and when
we were involved with it, we almost always got asked the same questions. How do you
find time to work on multiple plays a semester while still doing architecture
school? Isn’t that too much? Don’t you also have a job? And we would both
respond with similar answers. Theater is something we both love and we will
make time for it however we can but it doesn’t make architecture work more stressful.
If anything, the opposite is true. Being involved in this theater group is the
reward that pushes us to work harder on our studio projects everyday so that we
can finish them in less time. Then we can use that time to do the theater work.
Where am I going with having less time to work on things?
You are probably thinking I am confused or pining for the days when my schedule
was busier. Nope. Even though I have more time to work on things in a single day,
the naps provide the perfect deadline that gets me pushing harder and working
at a higher level than I thought I could work at. And instead of the end of the
day being my only deadline, each nap provides a small deadline for me to which
I excitedly work toward. That gives me 4 deadlines a day and it condenses my
schedule into roughly 5-hour manageable segments. And by having my duties separated
into different categories of work, I don’t experience the same lulls I would
during a normal uninterrupted day.
I know that these deadlines are in my head, but its just the
way that I am wired to work I guess. I tend to wake up with many ideas I want
to work on and then I get really serious about doing something productive
before my window of time has closed. The infographics I created should clear up
what I mean in a visual way. Each circle represents a 24 hour period. The space
between each radial line represents a 30 minute block of time. If you think of
the graphic as having peaks and valleys, then the peaks are the most productive
times and the valleys are the least productive time (which is when I am
sleeping). The colors also divide the productivity into smaller chunks of time
where I have felt a surge or drop in productivity throughout the day.
Closing Thoughts
I am still very much enjoying this pattern. Earlier I was
reading several blogs about how to make the most of the time in your day or how
to lifehack your way to saving time. I have always pretty much done most of the
things on those lists and I like to think I have used my time wisely but it is
astounding the kind of emotional boost this extra 4 hours a day is giving me. I
feel like my goals are more attainable than ever and I am really enjoying my
late night awake phase. From 10am-3am PST (Or 1am-6am) for all my friends on
the East Coast) I have been in a really good groove. I think I like that time
because there are so few distractions, as long as I avoid the black hole that
is internet stumbling. But other than that possibility, I have very little to
take away from my productivity or any creative train of thought I may be on. Some
people don’t like this part of polyphasic sleep. They don’t like the loneliness.
But I don’t feel loneliness. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my
friends and family, but it is also really nice to have my own personal time to
focus my thoughts. I only worry that if/when I eventually switch back to a
monophasic schedule I would lose that wonderful time.
On a similar note regarding using my time wisely, I think
that once the transition phase is over (1-2 weeks) I will probably be posting
weekly instead of daily. I think it will be a better use of my time and I don’t
think the same revelations or wild new experiences will be happening so
regularly.
As you may or may not be aware, I have been posting this
blog to two separate blog pages (the other is http://tumblr.dantonspina.com). For now, I will continue to do this, but I
think I will eventually faze one out or more likely I will keep using it but
change the content. Be well and good night/good morning/good afternoon!
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