Creative Napping

[Spoiler Alert: Read the book, we’re doing it all wrong!]

I attended HOW Design Live at the beginning of May, one of the fabulous keynote speakers was Daniel H. Pink, who I met at his book signing. I am finally getting some free time and started reading “When: The Science of Perfect Timing.”

So far the most interesting point for me has been about the power of napping to help tweak our bodies pattern of bottoming out in the afternoon. He suggests a “nappacino,” drink a cup of coffee, set your alarm for 25 minutes, and Bam! The caffeine kicks in, you avoid sleep inertia, and you’re ready for action for the rest of the afternoon. We all are familiar with the midafternoon slump, so why do we continue working at a less than optimal state? 

Case in point, final project for my 3D class was to take one item to transform another item. I bought 1000 plastic flies and glued them onto a stone lawn chicken. Voila! Flied chicken. 

When I was in design school, I waited on tables at night. I would take a nap before my evening shift, and somewhere in that magical place between sleep and wake I would get ideas. Really, really good ideas. Perfectly formed. All I needed to do at that point was to execute the project. 

I still get good ideas. I just have to work harder for them. And they still pop up at the most unlikely times, in the shower, reading, or washing dishes. I am blessed with an amazing team, who work as an egoless unit. We brainstorm and push each other, the way good creative teams should. 

But I wonder what would happen if we all took a “nappacino” and each came to the table with a perfect idea? What could we accomplish then?

I’m curious how other creatives get support for their teams to work in non-traditional ways to produce better outcomes. Maybe it will never be a thing in the Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 world. But a girl can dream…