Most creative people in history had their life organized around their work, but not their days.This is a paradox deemed true since they centered their life on their work but they did not have deadlines on when a job should be done. Take Einstein, for example, and he would doze off during the day into a world of physics even as he lectured his students in Germany. The physicist had a sleeping habit of daytime naps, and he slept for 10 hours each day. In the minds of anyone who hears the name Einstein, the word genius comes up. The paradox explained above is therefore deemed true in the eyes of a genius.
Darwin's Routine and Kindergartener's Sleeping Habits
Darwin is well known for being a scientist whose love for botany is undeniable as he wrote a book that till now affects how we think about our self and nature, The Origin of Species. He would wake up and take a morning walk through the dirt in the countryside, and by eight he would be back in his study. He would work for one and a half hours tops. At 9:30 he would read the daily mail and by 10:30 he would go back to rigorous work at his greenhouse or other buildings where he conducted his research. He would come later on head off for lunch, and by three he had his daily nap. The nap would last an hour, and he would arise and take another walk, return to his study until 5:30 and join his family for dinner. This was Darwin's routine and as observed his life was all about his work, but he had a kindergartener's sleeping habits. He had naps in between the day. Was this a good routine or does it only work for geniuses?
The Power of Default Mode Network in Creative Minds
Studies have found that when a person rests or lets their brain wander off the brain itself activates the Default Mode Network. The Default Mode Network for creative minds that is poets and physicists is different from that of sports people or gymnasts. The Default Mode Network in the brain is associated with regions of verbal acuity, creativity, and visual skill. As the name states, the mode is default therefore when one is working on a problem the mind continues to process this problem even when asleep. This sounds amazing and almost impossible, but geniuses harnessed this power of their subconscious. This explains why sometimes when trying to solve a riddle or even trying so hard to remember someone's name or even solving an equation would be difficult at that exact time, but after sleeping or later on after resting, this is when the solution is found. The Default mode Network in the brain is set after rest. This would explain why Darwin had frequent naps and walks during the day. As stated he would wake up and work with interval breaks of an hour or an hour and a half. After the naps, he would take a walk and get back to vigorous work and experiments at his lab. Creative people apart from being known as nerds are also athletes at some point in their lives, or they tend to set aside time for serious play or activities such as walking. When walking, there are some who have mastered the art of working while walking. This again is activated by the DMN in the brain. People can even train themselves to be more creative while walking. Walking encourages mind wandering which leads to creative thoughts and ideas. Isaac Newton came up with the theory of gravity. This scientist was sitting in the garden resting when an apple fell from the tree and hit his head, and it was at this point he came up with the theory. Needless to say, Isaac Newton was resting at this time. It would have been a whole different case if he was standing under the tree doing a math equation or working since its human nature when such a thing happens that causes pain then we either get sad, annoyed or stressed since it can lead to injury. This was not the case for Newton as his mind was wandering elsewhere as he was taking a rest it was therefore at this point his mind charged up, and he asked himself questions regarding gravity. Naps create a space for creative thoughts since its space between being awake and asleep. Therefore whatever one was doing and thinking before they took a nap is still in thought. This means that during the nap they can be able to process what they were thinking of before.
The Power of Deep Play
Deep play enables people to experience their work in a whole new light. In the case of Darwin, it was walking in silence that he was able to do botanical research, Lubbock liked to start the day with a ride through the country with his hunting dogs. Deep play is a set of exercises or could also be time set aside for activities other than work. This deep play allowed Darwin to make new botanical discoveries.
Planning the Day: Lubbock's Example
Creative minds plan their day and include naps in their daily plans. Lubbock was both a scientist and financial analyst. These were two different careers, and to add to that list he was also a politician. He was a good friend to Darwin. He leased the farmland that Darwin owed to him. He is the alpha male in any story. He was a wealthy man with a say in England who also loved archaeology. Ironical least to say. His father who was also a wealthy man left his empire of banks to Lubbock. He is not as well-known as Darwin, but he brought into light Palaeolithic and Neolithic times which are used to date in archaeology.
Lubbock was a great legislator who led by the spirit of rest. He advocated for resting hours in an 80 hours economy. In the banking industry, he proposed the motion for the four banking holidays in England.
Creative people plan their day and include naps or a sport or a walk. Lubbock was not known for advocating for rest yet not rest. Rather he was a testimony to the success of rest. He woke up at 6:30 as his routine, went for his daily morning rides and breakfast. He would divide his day into half-hour blocks. That is he started work at 8:30 then he would be able to switch from botany to finance within those half hour blocks. This was a skill he had learned due to the long years of practice. He was an avid cricket player hence during his planning he would not lack the time for cricket. He still had a block which he would write. He has 29 books which he wrote himself.
Belief in Rest: Darwin and Lubbock
The two scientists, Lubbock and Darwin, seem to have been doing the impossible when it comes to today's society where sleeping could be counted as sin. These were two very different personalities, but they have one thing in common their utmost belief in rest.
Mathematicians and the Importance of Rest
Mathematicians are different from scientists by words, but they are similar regarding the intensity of their work. G.H. Hardy was one of Britain's leading mathematicians, and he also had the same perspective on rest. He would wake up to breakfast and reading the cricket scores than at nine o'clock he would commence vigorous work until one in the afternoon. After work, he would be out walking and playing tennis. He stated that 4-5 hours of work are enough for a mathematician.
The Importance of Rest for the Brain
Sleep deprivation causes the brain to shut down at some point due to exhaustion. The brain is a muscle therefore just like any muscle in the arm or the foot the brain needs to exercise. This involves games such as jigsaw puzzles and other mind games such as chess, Sudoku, and crosswords. These are the mental exercises.
Muscles rest. The brain needs to rest to work efficiently and effectively when required. Just like the legs or rather the entire body after doing any job or running or walking or carrying a heavy load one requires to rest. Therefore sleep is quite important for the mind and the body. Scientists recommend eight hours of sleep similar to the least amount of glasses of water one should take. This minimum amount of sleep hours should be taken seriously to avoid a meltdown. Naps in between are also adviced since they activate the Default Mode Network. This is if it is possible. Another way that allows one to res especially at the workplace is leaving work at work. Darwin and Lubbock were 'lucky' enough that the age of emails had not dawned on them. This is the current age that we are in. The age of technology. Emails can be mind-boggling. It is advised that once it is time to go home employees should leave their emails and their work at home. This is also a way that the mind gets to rest.
Taking a walk or exercising before and after working hours are also encouraged. Walking allows the brain to wander and it is at this state that one can come up with different ideas and also discover new things. One also has to train their minds to work as they walk. This is necessary but can be achieved by wandering.
The Importance of Rest in Avoiding Mistakes
A case study was done during the Samsung launch of the galaxy s7 as the employees were rushing to unleash the new Samsung before iPhone 7. The employees had had sleepless nights and were so tired that they forgot to factor in simple technology that helps the phone to avoid blowing up when charging. This led to an explosion of the Samsung phones when during charging as their batteries would overheat. This then led to a recall of very many Samsung phones. This case study shows that rest would have enabled the employees to see the missing link in the phones. They would have been ahead of the competition.
The Importance of Rest for Students
Students can also work and still have time for their friends and social activities. Studies have revealed that students who take their time to exercise or play games after their classes are likely to be very successful compared to those who read and read continuously with no time to rest. This is because during the physical exercises the student is refreshing their mind. For example, a game of basketball not only requires the stealth of an athlete but the brain is also at work since the player has to know who they will pass the ball to, the angle they will use to score. Many things go hand in hand with playing.
Conclusion
Sleep deprivation is not the answer to succeed in studies. It surely did not work for well-known scientists. Even geniuses have to sleep, walk and play.
Work Cited
“Time Diary and Questionnaire Assessment of Factors Associated with Academic and Personal Success among University Undergraduates” George Dixon, Stansal, Tabitha Pheri
“Use Deliberate Rest to Promote Creative Thinking” AlexSoojung-Kim
EDMONDSON, PH D. M. I. C. H. A. E. L. Navigate the Chaos: 365 Strategies for Personal Growth and Professional Development, 2018 Edition. S.l.: LULU COM, 2017. Print.
The Secret work of Sleep: The surprising science of the mind at rest- Penelope A. Lewis
