Dan Pink's Five Secrets to Taking The Perfect Nap
The "Nappuccino"
In 2019, my favorite author (and occasional pen pal), Dan Pink, published an excellent book called When: the Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. I really like Dan’s writing for many reasons:
he researches thoroughly, even commissioning his own studies when helpful
he provides toolkits to conclude each chapter, giving readers concrete techniques to act based on the ideas he’s presented
he’s funny and fun to read
he narrates his own audiobooks
With that, I recommend everything he’s written, and I really like a few things about When in particular. Among other things, When discusses how people’s daily energy levels vary with their “chronotype” (i.e., individual sleep/wake pattern). Pink provides the tools to both understand chronotypes and to schedule one’s days based on them. For example, I tend to be sharper in the morning and a bit slower after lunch, so I try to do more of my analytical work/meetings in the morning, reserving more conceptual, “looser” work and meetings for the afternoon.
Notably, Dan offers a tool called the “nappuccino” (clever linguistics = classic Dan Pink — he’d probably describe it in a rhyme like “turning naming into gaming”). It amounts to having a cup of coffee 6.5-7 hours after waking, lying down, setting an alarm for 25 minutes, and taking a nap (more to come on ideal nap length). Pink cites evidence that there are benefits to doing this routinely.
This file contains more detail on the nappuccino, which I recommend you consider working into your daily routine!
