Our ability to concentrate is directly impacted by even the smallest amount of sleep deprivation, Matthew Walker observes in his powerful book, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.
“The deadly societal consequences of these concentration failures play out most obviously and fatally in the form of drowsy driving,” he writes.
Car collisions are one of the leading causes of death in most first-world nations. In … continue reading
1: The margin of victory in professional athletics is often slight. In the Olympics, the difference between the gold medal winner and the last-place finisher is often only seconds or even fractions of a second.
“On this team, we fight for that inch,” Al Pacino growls in Any Given Sunday [aside: Great speech! Terrible movie….].
Indeed. Finding a competitive advantage is critical. Which is why Sleep Researcher Dr. Matthew Walker… continue reading
1: Dr. Matthew Walker had just finished delivering a public lecture on sleep when a distinguished-looking gentleman dressed in a tweed suit jacket approached the podium.
“As a pianist,” he said, “I have an experience that seems far too frequent to be chance. I will be practicing a particular piece, even late into the evening, and I cannot seem to master it. Often, I make the same mistake at the … continue reading
1: Shakespeare was right.
Writing in Macbeth, he tells us sleep is “the chief nourisher in life’s feast.”
Four hundred years later, the science now shows how sleep has a seemingly miraculous effect on our ability to learn and remember. Yesterday, we looked at a controlled experiment in which those who took a nap after doing intensive learning were able to recall 20 percent more information than those who … continue reading
1: “Scientists have discovered a revolutionary new treatment that makes you live longer. It enhances your memory and makes you more creative. It makes you look more attractive. It keeps you slim and lowers food cravings. It protects you from cancer and dementia. It wards off colds and the flu. It lowers your risk of heart attacks and stroke, not to mention diabetes. You’ll even feel happier, less depressed, and … continue reading
This week we are exploring philosopher Brian Johnson’s idea of creating masterpiece days. Brian suggests we focus on the beginning and end of our day because this is where we have maximum control.
Today we begin looking at our evening habits and practices, what Brian calls our “PM Bookend.”
Which starts with this insight: how we end yesterday will directly impact today. Brian encourages us to make the connection … continue reading
