From the past to the present, people who have succeeded in various fields, such as eminent presidents, philosophers, scientists, artists, etc.., took a nap. There is definitely a reason as to why successful people invest their time into taking a nap when even 24 hours a day is not enough for them.
They are busier than any other others and they do not have enough time. But why are they taking their nap time essentially?
I will let you know how successful people take their naps!
Einstein, who loves sleeping
Einstein had always had about 11 hours of sleep a day apart from taking a nap. Einstein spent most of the day sleeping and he once said that “I can’t think straight and properly if I sleep less than 10 hours a day. Compensating the long sleeping hours, Einstein was able to pour energy into the rest of his activities with enormous concentration.
Charles Darwin, who always took a regular nap
Charles Darwin must have taken a nap for one hour, from 3 to 4 pm most of the day. He spent the day in a planned and regular way, so he kept time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as his working time, his time for drinking tea, and even his time for a nap.
The Balzac’s napping method , who is an outstanding novelist
Balzac is a typical night owl who went to sleep at 6 o’clock in the evening and woke up at 1 am. He started writing as soon as he woke up and he took a nap from 8 am in the morning after concentrating 8 hours devoted to writing. He took a nap for an hour and a half from 8 am, so he was able to digest 6 to 7 hours of aggressive writing activity again in the afternoon.
Salvador Dali, who took a nap to get inspiration
Salvador Dali is a representative of individuals who get inspiration from taking a nap. He took a nap with an extraordinarily heavy metal key on his hand. When he fell asleep, he would naturally have dropped the metal key he was holding and woke up hearing the sound of the metal key being dropped on the floor. The reason he chose to take a nap like this was because he believed that I was the moment when the most creative inspiration and insight emerged for him. It is possible to think innovatively and creatively in a state of unconsciousness that has not awakened yet. He also said that an important factor that made him a great artist was a nap.
Tolstoy’s napping method, who had always pursued the right life
Tolstoy also enjoyed a 2-hour nap during the day. He said he had created his own ’17 Rule of Life’ to live life happily. This discipline is not only about eating habits but also about the virtues of life including behavior or attitudes of life, and care for the weak. His first rule was about to wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning and to go to sleep at least before 10 o’clock at night. And the second rule was to allow himself at 2-hour nap during the day. The fact that Tolstoy, who had lived a good life with excellent insight into the value of human beings and life, also took a nap, suggests that a nap is an important value for human beings to pursue.
Nap lover, Winston Churchill
He said that “Humans were not made to work straight without rest from 8 am until late at night. Only a 20 minute of nap is enough to get the energy back”. Winston Churchill is one of the most famous celebrities who love and nurture the lifestyle of nap. The nap was an unnegotiable activity that he must have had it every day. He changed clothes at the same time every day and went to take a nap for 2 hours. Even in the midst of the imminent war where his country is involved, he must have kept his nap time. Because of his extraordinary love of nap, there are many opinions that his abundant energy and secret of superior ability came from him taking a nap.
I am quite sure that after taking a nap, stress is reduced and concentration is much higher. A lot of people who showed great ability in their field enjoyed and took a nap. If you take too long time to take a nap, it can be counterproductive.
If you try to use your own method of taking a nap well just like Dali’s key method, napping seems to be a very effective self-management method. I have been taking a nap for a while and sometimes I thought I was too lazy. I believe that the ideal time for taking a nap is between 30 mins to 2 hours a day.