05.27.08
Is Being A Night Owl Normal?
Are you a night owl? Me too.
Though I’ve spent the majority of my life fighting my nocturnal instincts, I’ve ALWAYS been a night person, even as a child. Day people, or larks, just don’t get it. It’s not that night owls *like* to stay up late… it’s just the most natural sleep rhythm for us.
Although I currently have an early morning job, I feel much more rested on the weekends when I can “sleep in”, and always seem to be at my mental peak well after “normal hours”.
Some people consider being a night owl a medical disorder (and I guess it could be, if it interferes with normal life activities). A few months ago, I was reading about “Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome”:
“Delayed sleep-phase syndrome (DSPS), also known as delayed sleep-phase disorder (DSPD) or delayed sleep-phase type (DSPT), is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, a chronic disorder of the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, core body temperature, hormonal and other daily rhythms relative to societal norms. People with DSPS tend to fall asleep well after midnight and have difficulty waking up in the morning.”
But, based on the number of people I know who are VERY productive during the wee hours of the morning and who have no actual “problems sleeping”, I’ve always wondered if maybe being a night owl was normal, at least for a certain percentage of the population.
So I was DELIGHTED to hear a recent interview with Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules on the excellent Brain Science Podcast. Here’s Dr. Medina, from the interview:
“20% [of people] are what we call ‘Late Chronotypes‘, or owls. These are people that don’t want to go to bed much before 3 o’clock in the morning, and don’t want to wake up much before noon. And they report that their best, most productive times, are in the evening and at night.
Now those sleep cycles, with the homeostatic sleep drive and the circadian arousal system, are probably set near birth. You can certainly see them at five or six years of age.”
There’s much more in the actual podcast, so you should definitely listen to the full interview.
I plan to pick up Medina’s book ASAP, because he also discussed a lot of other good ways to help your brain “survive and thrive at work, home, and school”. For example, I think it’s very interesting that regular physical exercise plays an important role in cognitive function.
The Brain Science Podcast is great in general. The host, Dr. Ginger Campbell, covers many interesting topics about the brain, and does it in language that is easy to understand.
It’s a fun, educational show and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Link (to interview with John Medina, PhD via Brain Science Podcast)
Link (to The Brain Science Podcast)
Malcolm Gladwell’s 3rd Book Coming In November
Malcolm Gladwell’s new book Outliers is coming in November. Don’t know if we can wait that long!
From the publisher’s catalog:
“In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of ‘outliers’–the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band. Brilliant and entertaining, OUTLIERS is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.”
Meanwhile, check out his speech, titled “Genius: 2012″, at last year’s New Yorker conference… maybe it gives some insight into what the book will be like?
And don’t forget his archive of articles online… hopefully this will be enough to tide you over until November. It won’t be enough for us though… Spiddlement LOVES Gladwell.
Link (Outliers via 800-CEO-READ blog)
05.20.08
How To Actually Win A Fistfight
This great article about how to win a fist fight was floating around the net this past January. I sent it to a few friends but never posted it, because I didn’t want to encourage violence of any sort. Spiddlement is all about peace and love.
Fastfoward to last Saturday night, when a drunk guy at a bar attempted to start a fight with me. The place was crowded and I was working my way to the restroom. He interpreted that as “pushing”. Luckily, I was able to deflect the situation, but I was amazed at how calm I was. And the only reason I can think of for that calmness was that I had read this great article and knew EXACTLY what I would do if punches started flying.
And that’s why I think this is worth posting. It gives you a gameplan for self-defense. That’s not to say you will always win, but I think it would GREATLY improve your chances. A lot of it is understanding physics and mental preparation. But please don’t ever start a fight just for fun… I would be really ashamed if anyone who reads this blog did that.
“It’s common sense – avoid fighting if at all possible. No one likes to get hit (and if you do, there’s no need to go crawling pubs to find it. There’s any number of clubs filled with rubber-suited men and women who will give you a safety word and a few bruises for the right price…). But sometimes, diplomacy erodes to a good old fashioned bust-up, or worse, your opponent is just a big bully who’s looking to drive a knuckle into your nose. In either case, you are – at some point in your life – going to be called upon to defend yourself.”
Link (to “How To Actually Win A Fist Fight” via The Journal of Joe The Peacock)
05.05.08
The Plain and Simple To-Do List
This “To-Do” list was designed for adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but it looks like it would be useful for anyone these days multi-tasking through lots of distractions.
“The planners that are out on the market today can sometimes be too cumbersome and overwhelming for an adult with AD/HD, especially when they are initially trying to get better organized. I have devised what I call ‘The Plain and Simple To-Do List’ that can be made up from items most people already have in their homes.”
All you need to get started is a manila folder and some post-it notes.
This seems similar to the technique I have been using myself for years — I have a daily “to-do list” I keep in my coat pocket… at the end of the day, I move all the unfinished items on to a fresh list.
Link (via ADDA website)
