Do you feel that your creativity is being held hostage by the 24/7 demands affecting many people these days?
Here's a no-cost remedy: take a nap.
We know it's good for kids. One study found increased levels of anxiety and decreased problem-solving ability in kids who miss their afternoon nap. I don't know whether they measured crankiness but I bet that went up, too.
Minds.com has a helpful infographic about how long you should nap depending on the result you want. Here's a summary:
For increased alertness and energy: 10 to 20 minutes.
For improving memory: 60 minutes (but you may be a bit groggy about waking)
For increased creativity and all-around benefits: 90 minutes, a full sleep cycle that includes different levels of sleep including rapid-eye-movement sleep which usually is associated with dreaming.
I'm partial to the 20 minute naps myself. They don't take too big a chunk out of the day but they really help me to revive when I'm flagging.
(For a creative, right-brain approach to managing your time and life, get Focus: Use the Power of Targeted Thinking to Get More Done, published by Pearson and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.)
