{"id":12311,"date":"2020-09-29T05:00:20","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T09:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/?p=12311"},"modified":"2022-09-15T02:09:17","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T02:09:17","slug":"tonight-pick-one-problem-to-sleep-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/tonight-pick-one-problem-to-sleep-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Tonight, pick one problem to sleep on"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Takeaway: The next time you reach a strong impasse with a problem, sleep on it, by writing down the problem before heading to bed. Incubating unresolved problems overnight lets your mind wander, rest, and unearth insights you might not otherwise have had. Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 13s. Podcast Length: 18 minutes, 34s (link to play podcast at the bottom of post).<\/div><\/div>\n

\"Tonight,<\/p>\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If you\u2019re anything like me,\u00a0you\u00a0occasionally\u00a0find\u00a0yourself\u00a0staring down what could be\u00a0several more hours\u00a0of work\u00a0at the end of the day\u2014maybe\u00a0stumped by a technical problem\u00a0or grasping for\u00a0a way to\u00a0connect\u00a0seemingly disparate ideas in a presentation. Whatever it is, you\u2019ve reached an impasse and\u00a0you may\u00a0not\u00a0be\u00a0sure what to do next.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Pulling an all-nighter is one option\u2014but a better option might be to\u00a0sleep on the problem.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Here\u2019s how the idea works<\/strong>:\u00a0as you\u2019re disconnecting at the end of the day, write down one open loop or problem that you want to solve and think about until the next morning. Then, go to sleep. As you rest, your brain will continue to churn away on the problem, making it more likely that you\u2019ll experience a eureka moment in the morning.\u00a0Try to always<\/strong>\u00a0go to\u00a0<\/strong>bed<\/strong>\u00a0with\u00a0<\/strong>a<\/strong>\u00a0problem in mind that you want to solve.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sleeping on a problem\u00a0works for two\u00a0curious\u00a0reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

First, it works because of a psychological\u00a0phenomenon named the \u201cZeigarnik effect<\/a>\u201d.\u00a0Named after psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik,\u00a0this effect\u00a0suggests that we store unresolved problems at the front of our minds. Our brains are wired to continue connecting new experiences and thoughts to that problem until the loop is closed. That includes the new ideas that come up when our minds wander.\u00a0By capturing\u00a0a problem before bed, you\u2019re more likely to store it front-of-mind for the night\u2014when your mind will turn over the problem, in search of a solution to it.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is where the power of dreaming comes in\u2014the second reason sleeping on a problem works so well.\u00a0Interestingly,\u00a0the brain networks we use to\u00a0dream as we sleep and\u00a0day<\/em>dream are\u00a0eerily similar\u2014on a neurological level, dreaming is\u00a0basically\u00a0daydreaming on steroids.\u00a0And, as I\u2019ve\u00a0written about in the past<\/a>, a surefire way of becoming more creative is to\u00a0daydream\u00a0more often.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Like daydreaming, dreaming creates the space for us to process problems and unearth new insights. When we wake up we find we\u2019re not only more refreshed and able to focus, but that our subconscious may have pieced together the puzzle from the day before.\u00a0(I dig into this idea more in\u00a0Hyperfocus<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0Everyone from\u00a0Thomas Edison to Salvador Dali have used sleep as a tool to come up with new insight solutions.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Going to bed with a problem to sleep on\u00a0works best for a single specific, complex problem that would benefit from some additional time or thought. Something simple to try the next time you\u2019ve reached an impasse in your work. Sweet, productive dreams!\u00a0<\/p>\r\n