The 4-Hour Body_ An Uncommon Guide to Ra - Timothy Ferriss [122]
The rigor of keeping the schedule makes most of these methods unrealistic for 9-to-5 employees. But if you have a flexible schedule and can manage to pick a method and stick with it for several months, you’ll find that you feel amazing and have a seemingly unlimited amount of time during the day to get things done.
This, to me, is the ultimate brain hack.
Step #1: Determine your sleep schedule. You will be taking 20-minute naps, every four hours, around the clock. That’s six naps, evenly spaced over the course of 24 hours (e.g., 2:00 A.M., 6:00 A.M., 10:00 A.M., 2:00 P.M., 6:00 P.M., and 10:00 P.M.). This cycle will remain the same throughout your polyphasic sleeping period.
Step #2: Do NOT oversleep. By oversleeping just once, you’ll upset the cycle and feel exhausted (for up to 24 hours) as a result. Under no circumstances should you sleep more than 20 minutes, as it can ultimately cause you to abandon the polyphasic schedule out of fatigue. Get a reliable alarm clock. If you’re tempted to hit the snooze button, put the clock far away from where you sleep.
Step #3: Do NOT skip naps. Respect your schedule and follow it to the minute. Skipping them will have a compounding effect. Missing one nap results in a loss of energy that requires two more naps to return you to normal mental sharpness.
Step #4: Beat the initiation phase. The first week and a half is the toughest. If you follow your outlined schedule, don’t oversleep, and don’t skip naps, you should be well adjusted to your new sleeping regimen in just under two weeks, though some can take up to three weeks.
TOOLS AND TRICKS
Dustin Curtis (http://blog.dustincurtis.com/) The blog of the author of this chapter, interface designer, start-up design advisor, and amateur neuroscientist Dustin Curtis.
Steve Pavlina’s Sleep Logs (www.fourhourbody.com/pavlina) Steve Pavlina’s trial of polyphasic sleep is what introduced me to Uberman. These are the most detailed polyphasic sleep logs you’ll find anywhere on the web.
Uberman Schedule Success Stories (www.poly-phasers.com, www.fourhourbody.com/kuro5hin) Kuro5hin is what introduced Matt Mullenweg, lead developer of the popular blogging software WordPress, to the Uberman schedule, which he used for one year. He recounts the experience:
“It was probably the most productive year of my life. The first three to four weeks you’re a zombie, but once you settle into the schedule, you don’t even need an alarm to wake up after the naps. I probably wrote the majority of my code contributions for Wordpress.org during that time. Then, I got a girlfriend. That was the end of Uberman, and the beginning of a significantly less productive—but more romantic—phase. It’s nice to be able to spend a normal night with someone instead of just sleeping 20 minutes.”
Try Polyphasic (http://forums.trypolyphasic.com/) This forum covers common questions, and practical suggestions, from people around the world who are attempting polyphasic sleep.
“How the Everyman Sleep Schedule Was Born” (www.fourhourbody.com/everyman) Read about how the Uberman has been modified to make it more flexible with people’s schedules.
“Polyphasic Sleep: Facts and Myths” (www.supermemo.com/articles/polyphasic.htm) This article compares polyphasic sleep to regular monophasic sleep, biphasic sleep, and the concept of “free- running” sleep.
HOW TO KEEP ON SCHEDULE
Kuku Klok (www.kukuklok.com) Once loaded, this online alarm clock will work even if your Internet connection goes down.
Clocky Moving Alarm Clock (www.fourhourbody.com/clocky) This patented alarm clock jumps three feet from your nightstand and runs away while beeping to get you up. You can only snooze once.
Wakerupper (www.wakerupper.com) Wakerupper is an online phone reminder tool. Schedule reminder calls to ring to your cell phone at specific times.
REVERSING INJURIES
REVERSING “PERMANENT” INJURIES
Hacking is much bigger than clever bits of code in a computer—it’s how we create the future.
—Paul Buchheit,