Thanks again to everyone who sent me feedback, both positive and negative on the polyphasic sleep. I am currently on day 5 of a modified Everyman schedule (normally 3 hours “core” sleep plus 3 x 30 min naps), in which I substitute a 2-hour nap for the second nap. It does increase total sleep to 6 hours a day but I am feeling fabulous and extremely productive all day. I am doing this in conjunction with a partial raw foods diet and a lot of exercise and there have been days that I am so happy I feel like I am on drugs. I am totally blown away by the impact of this quite simple lifestyle change. I have also been stone-cold sober from coffee during this time. There is a very strong correlation between coffee and hypomania for me, finally I had the good sense to stop. I am not always the swiftest at these things (this has been going on for 15 years) but I generally do get it eventually.
I may shift to a straight-up Everyman schedule soon, or perhaps even an Uberman schedule (6 x 25 min naps) within a month or two or when my situation stabilizes as I am totally intrigued by it. But it would have to be gentle – I am not into squeezing every waking minute out of the day at the cost of my well-being. I am now questioning the assumption that a polyphasic sleep adaptation needs to be miserable. This would be a breakthrough – there are no studies done on this, just anecdotal evidence.
I actually feel myself in the midst of one of the most exciting and transformational times of my life. This is a permanent lifestyle change that I believe will have a profound impact on the quality of my life, my relationships, my effectiveness, and my contribution to society. I have been seeking this all my life. I have been using my time partly in job-stuff (I got a few small e-learning contracts) but mostly in networking around our upcoming Basic Sensuality course at Trellis. It’s a big break for our community to be producing our first Morehouse course and we’re all pretty hyped about it. Join us if you can for the weekend of Feb. 28. I have also become a huge fan of Linkedin, Facebook, and Meetup.com. Friend me there if you want by following the links.
Not much news on the job front, but I am confident something will come up soon. I went to a meeting yesterday of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and had a truly wonderful time. I have now decided that e-learning, instructional design, collaborative technology and social networking is where I want to be. Changing careers in the midst of a financial crisis is usually not advisable, so I intend to get technical writing contract work (ideally at home, although I will take a day-job if I must) while training and developing my skills during my third Everyman work shift. I wish I had known all this during my time at Atiam, it would have dramatically changed my experience there. Even so, I thought a day-job would kill me, but I survived and even thrived there to some degree. That is a great victory.
Please send me leads or suggestions for technical writing jobs if you have any.
Many blessings to everyone for the new year,
Marc
