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Not to be flippant, but that’s called sleep deprivation. I did this daily for 18-24mo straight, sleeping a 3h block early morning (~4:30-7:30) and a 27min nap aligned with my sleep/wake cycle during mid-afternoon. I did this without caffeine, stimulants, sugar, etc. After having more kids I couldn’t keep the daily consistency required and scaled back to 1-3x a week. I spent years convinced that it elevated my coding, insights, etc., and there was a degree of truth to it, as it did mitigate the worst of my ADHD. Then I got medicated and suddenly everything in the world that had always screamed for my attention 24/7 started quieting down a little. It took me another decade or two to break more of the coping mechanisms I’d developed in my late teens for ADHD and dyslexia. I could ramble down several tangents for paragraphs here, but I’ll just throw out my personal note that while there were clear cognitive benefits (note: I’m sidestepping the increasingly clear long term cognitive risks indicated in recent research), the muscular-skeletal costs we’re greater.

As they say, adrenaline is a hell of a drug.




Its def not a lifestyle, I don't feel like I made that super obvious. I'm talking about a once in a blue moon type deal where you need a hard reset. Sorta like how most people rarely turn off their phones, things get fucky with it eventually, and it needs a hard reset or reboot. Don't get too hung up on the metaphors, but I've experienced it working and I'm not exactly an n=1


Its more like stochastic sleep deprivation without the randomness.


Also: paragraphs ;)




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