Science behind the perfect nap to boost productivity, creativity

Science behind the perfect nap to boost productivity, creativityScience behind the perfect nap to boost productivity, creativityDuring the early 1900s, surrealist painter, Salvador Dali, developed a napping hack for generating his new creative ideas and staying productive with his work. Dali would sit on a chair with one arm resting on the armrests and his wrists draped over the chair, whilst holding a heavy metal key in hand, held over an upside-down plate.As soon as Dali would doze off and start to fall asleep, the key would fall from his hands, hit the plate and wake him up from his nap.Ladders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.In Dalis words describing this methodYou will have merely to let yourself be progressively invaded by a serene afternoon sleep The moment the key drops from your fingers, you may be sure that the noise of its fall on the upside-down plate will awaken you. (Sou rce 50 Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship)Decades later, this state of mind between sleep and the state of being awake, which Dali uncovered welches later formally described as hypnagogia.Just like Dali, other renown innovators, artists and writers including Thomas Edison, Beethoven and Mary Shelley, have tapped into the power of naps to give way for their best creative breakthroughs.Lets dive in to discuss and uncover the science behind how to nap for better productivity, creativity and health.Why do we need to nap?Firstly, the afternoon nap, more so than other methods of productivity, requires little to no effort to execute with similar benefits. Napping could help you overcome feelings of fatigue and raise your energy for the rest of the day, however, napping the wrong way could also leave you feeling even more groggy and waste valuable time.Secondly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approximately one in three adults sleep below the National Sleep Fou ndations minimum requirement of 7 hours of sleep per night.I have personally struggled to stay consistent with this requirement and just like most adults who are sleep deprived, taking a nap provides another opportunity during the day to catch up on sleep.Thirdly, if youve ever wondered why you may feel energized and sleepy during the same times of the day, thats because of your internal biological shifts between sleepiness and alertness in what is called the circadian rhythm.Most people experience their biggest dip of energy levels in the middle of the night between 200 am and 400 am and just after lunchtime (between 100 pm and 300 pm, when we usually crave that post-lunch nap).The afternoon nap could also help you to counter ansicht drops in energy levels during your circadian rhythm. This way you can more effectively match your peak energy levels with your most important tasks for improved productivity.Afternoon naps and mental performanceRecently, researchers at the University o f Pennsylvania published a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society on the effects of naps on our mental health and memory. 1The researchers studied 3,000 adults to examine the relationship between the frequency and duration of naps and their performance on various mental ability tests.These tests included basic tests including questions about the date, basic math problems, memorization and recall of words. In total, approximately 60 percent of the participants examined during the study took a nap after lunch, with an average nap time of 63 minutes.The researchers discovered that higher memory abilities and mental performances were significantly associated with taking a nap post-lunch compared to the participants who didnt nap at all.Additionally, the participants who napped for approximately one hour (moderate group) performed better on these tests than participants who took shorter or longer naps.Participants who took no naps, shorter or longer naps than one hour ex perienced decreased performance in their mental ability up to four-to-six times greater than participants who took hour-long naps.These participants also experienced similar declines in their mental performance and abilities that a five-year increase in their age would be expected to cause.The key findings from the study suggest that the absence of napping could be associated with weaker mental performance than otherwise. This study also suggests that the duration of your naps is strongly associated with the benefits you gain from it. Too long or too short, and youd still end up without the benefits and feeling groggy.Now that weve covered some of the science on napping, lets discuss some practical strategies on how to take the perfect nap How to take the perfect napHere are some science-backed tips to use naps for better productivity, creativity and health.1.Time the duration of your naps.As previously discussed in the research study on napping, the duration of your naps is extreme ly important. According to various sleep experts, a power nap duration of 10 to 20 minutes should be enough to boost your energy and mental capabilities, whilst being short enough to fit into the work day without feeling groggy.The reason behind this is that your sleep happens in cycles of approximately 90 minutes, moving from one stage to another and inducing slower brain wave activity in each stage.Essentially, once you enter one of these slow stages of sleep youll struggle to wake up and experience the dreaded feeling of tiredness that you may have previously experienced.If youve got more time i.e. 60-90 minutes, free in the afternoon, take advantage of this to get a full revolution through the sleep cycle and the additional mental performance benefits from this.Dont forget to take account for the non-nap period of time spent before the actual nap itself. It takes the average person approximately 14 minutes to fall asleep at night, so chances are if youre like me, you probably wo nt nap immediately.Another quick tip here is to use your phones inbuilt timer to wake you up once your nap period is over.2. Pick the right time during the day for napping.As previously discussed, the best period to take a nap are during the low energy periods of your circadian rhythm. Typically, this would fall between the hours of 100 to 400 p.m. during the post-lunch energy dip.The danger with napping after this time window is that you risk messing with your bedtime sleep cycle because your body may keep you up at night. So id suggest you pay close attention to your how your naps affect the quality of your sleep at night.3. Practice napping.Yes napping takes practice, its a skill. Plus, just like other things in life, napping is habit that takes time to form and establish in your daily rituals. Be intentional about what, where and when you plan to take your naps. Fit your naps into your daily schedule and keep a record of your progress as you would a workout journal.If you strugg le to nap quickly enough, you could use some deep breathing exercises like the 4-7-8 breathing technique to induce sleep faster.4. Nap in a dark and quiet environment.Ideally, the best conditions for napping would be dark and quiet, similar to those best for sleep. The problem is this unless you work from home or have flexible working hours, its nearly impossible to find these type of places around your amtsstube or school in the afternoon.The best ways Ive found to counteract this problem is to invest in and use these two affordable items an eye mask and a pair of headphones.The eye mask will help you to shut out the light in any room you choose to nap, whilst my personal favorite use of the headphones is listening to calm music, podcasts or sermons during my nap.5. Try the caffeinated nap.I know youre probably thinking that I made a typing error in the previous sentence, but theres a weird trick which involves drinking a cup of coffee or a caffeinated drink, followed immediately b y a 20-minute power nap.As silly as this may sound, you could actually benefit from both the caffeine and the nap, because caffeine typically takes about 20 minutes to kick in your system.Theres a bit of science that could also explain why this works.A chemical, adenosine (builds your desire to sleep) is released in the brain during the day. After you take a nap, adenosine clears out from your system and youll feel more energized.Interestingly, caffeine molecules are similar in structure to adenosine molecules and as a result, adenosine receptors may be blocked by these molecules, preventing the real adenosine molecules (that make you feel tired) plugging into the receptors.In short, the combination of the nap and caffeine, could make you feel more alert and energetic. However, Id recommend you only use this method as a last resort, to avoid caffeine dependency problems.Napping is not a substitute for quality sleepAlthough Ive made a case for the importance, benefits and how-to of n apping, Id also like to emphasize that taking naps is not a substitute for quality sleep.If you struggle with poor sleep on a regular basis, like myself these days, the majority of your efforts should be directed towards achieving quality sleep first, before perfecting the art of napping.Naps shouldnt be a band-aid or cover up from addressing other bad healthy habits in your life. If youre constantly tired, your exercise, eating, thinking, social or work habits could be the culprit.Napping is just another effective tool in your arsenal that could give you that much-needed boost in productivity and creativity, for that extra edge to stand out in todays competitive world.Mayo Oshin writes atMayoOshin.com, where he shares practical self-improvement ideas and proven science for better health, productivity and creativity.To get practical ideas on how to stop procrastinating and build healthy habits, you can join his free weekly newsletterhere.A version of thisarticleoriginally appeared a tmayooshin.comasThe science behind the perfect nap to boost your productivity and creativityFootnotesAfternoon Napping and Cognition in Chinese Older Adults Findings From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) Baseline Assessment. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.Hat tip to Thomas Frank and Lifehacker for inspiring some ideas within this article.

How to negotiate your salary like a pro

How to negotiate your salary like a proHow to negotiate your salary like a proAre you currently applying for a new job, or gunning for a promotion at your current company? Either way nows the time to brush up on those negotiation skills and secure the salary that you deserve.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraDoes the thought of negotiating for your salary bring you out in a cold sweat? Youre leid alone. Many people are scared about negotiating their salaries according to Salary.com. A recent survey revealed that only 37% of people said that they always negotiate for their salaries. 18% said that they never do it and 44% said theyve never brought it up And, according to Linda Babcocks book Girls Dont Ask, only7% of womenattempt to negotiate their first salary.This is definitely something you should learn to do though, however much it scares you. When you negotiate, you show your e mployer not only that you can advocate for yourself but also that you have done your homework about how much youre worth in the labor market. You could also increase your salary by 7% which adds up to a lot over the course of your careerStep 1 Find out how much youre worthDo your research and find out your market value. Rather than discussing any raise in relation to what you currently earn, flip the conversation around to talking about how much youre worth on the labor market and focus the discussion on hard numbers.Step 2 Formulate your argumentsWrite down all of your arguments about why you think you should get the salary or raise youre asking for. Make sure to focus on your market value and the value that you bring to your role.Step 3 Be proactive about asking for a raiseMost people will wait until its performance review time to ask for a raise, but in many cases, this is too late. Your manager will likely have already worked out who to offer raises to by then. Make sure to get your request in there early. If youve been in your job for more than one year, taken on new responsibilities and exceeded expectations whilst doing so, then you can feel secure in asking for more money.Step 4 Shoot for the starsAsk for more than you want. If you start too low then you wont give enough room for negotiation and will likely walk out with an offer that is less than you want. Itll be tempting to ask for a price in the middle of the range, but if you start at the upper limit of what professionals in your role are paid, then youre more likely to come out with something much better than you currently have.Step 5 Hold your head upWalk in to the room with confidence. Hold your head up high and smile. Use your body language to show that you mean business. It might help to put on a different persona or pretend to be someone else. Be positive and assertive. Tell the HR manager or your boss how much you want the opportunity and how excited you are to bring your expertise to the r ole, but also emphasize the salary that you think is right.Step 6 Name your priceWhatever you do, try to put your number on the table first. Doing so will mean that any discussions have to start from there. And, make sure to ask for an exact number. So, ask for $67,540 instead of $68,000 as this will make your vorstellungsgesprch partner feel like youve really done extensive research about how much youre worth. Also, whilst you might want to give your interview partner a range, but this will make it seem like youre willing to concede, so stick to one very specific and sufficiently high number and make no indication that youre willing to go down at all.Step 7 Walk away if you need toDecide on a salary that is too low. You can work this out according to your own long or short term goals and also your knowledge of how much you should be able to earn in this role. Be willing to walk away if the salary offered is below this. It will be undoubtedly difficult, but you will be thankful that you didnt settle for a salary that is less than you deserve.Step 8 Make a counter offerDont be scared of getting a no. Most negotiations dont even start until an offer has been turned down. In this case, you can make a counteroffer that reflects the raise you were hoping to get. Or, if there are other things such as paid leave, flex time, conferences, courses etc., then ask about these too as a way to improve your offer. The most important thing is that you come out of the discussions feeling like you won something. If the offer is still too low or not satisfactory, revert to step 7 and walk away.This article first appeared on Kununu.

How Often Are Resume Updates Needed

How Often Are Resume Updates Needed How Often Are Resume Updates Needed How Often Are Resume Updates Needed?Whether youre looking for your first job, seeking a better opportunity, or currently unemployed, your resume is a crucial tool in your job hunt.Dont just write yours and then rely on it, thoughrealize that its a work-in-progress and merits attention throughout your search. Its vital to keep updating your resume, especially in a difficult employment market. Make sure youre always presenting yourself as impressively as possible.For students seeking an internship or first job, revise every semester, advises Lisa Dickter, associate director for Career Consultants Carnegie Mellons Career and Professional Development Center, Pittsburgh, PA. Once youre working, update several times a year. If you wait, its hard to remember what you did ten or eleven months ago. After each new project, update your resume while details are fresh in your mind, and its easy to explain what you accomplishe d or learned, Dickter recommends. Whenever you have something to add, do it as soon as possible. The point of a resume is citing your accomplishments and giving the specifics what you did, and how you did it.If youre bedrngnis working, its especially valuable to keep freshening your resume, update as often as you can, Dickter emphasizes. In todays job market, with lay-offs and downsizing, being unemployed for a few months is typical. If youve been job-hunting longer than three months, try to find a volunteer, part-time or temporary position within your field. Register with a temp agencyan employer may have a short-term project requiring additional staff, but would rather notlage hire full-time or permanent engineers who also have to be paid benefits. Volunteering shows both motivation and involvement in your field. Tutor a beginning mechanical engineering student, or find a local high school or non-profit organization thats encouraging interest in science and engineering. Finding an appropriate volunteer spot isnt always easy, Dickter admits, but its an excellent addition to your resume while youre not working.Revising is a strategic job-hunting tactic. If its been a few months since you applied to a particular employer, Updating your resume is a good reason to get in touch again, says Dickter. (However, remember that you cant contact them every other week). Ask a professional colleague to review your resume and make sure its effective and nice-looking, she suggests. Its a good opportunity to ask for an informational interview, with someone who you know has no current openings. Just be clear that youre simply seeking advice about the industry right now, and any suggestions about how to strengthen your resume. The reviewer may suggest changing some wording, or adding more detail in one area, says Dickter. Then one day, if a friend mentions having an appropriate opening, because of that recent contact the person you asked will probably remember you, and might re commend you for that job.Employers pay attention to when youve done things, Dickter finds. She prefers placing dates at the right margin or immediately after the job youre listing, because putting them on the left side of the page draws attention to the time frame. You want the employer to focus on what you achieved or which skills you gained.For accomplishments with the same employer, you neednt list the date of each previous project simply distinguish each one with a bullet. When you update, add any recent project at your current job. In describing your current position, say July 2011 to present. Youll need to decide whether its more impressive to describe the position through specific projects youve handled, or by general accomplishments on the job, says Dickter.Make periodic decisions about what to add or delete. For experienced engineers, include mostly information relevant to the field. Mention things youve set up for professional or alumni associations, like networking events . This shows organizational skills and time management. I think employers do like to see that people have a life outside their engineering jobs. Some career advisers prefer including hobbies, but I think something like running a marathon is better to bring up in the interview, Dickter says. Twenty or more years after college, Its fine not to list every job, especially if youve had ten different positions. But decision-makers dislike employment gaps, so try to show continuous employmentdont simply omit your fourth and sixth jobs. Be sure to add any new publication, conference presentation, or position at your professional association.If youve accomplished something specific that you really want a chance to talk about, like an impressive skill youve acquired, realize the interviewer wont ask unless you mention something for them to pick up on, Dickter notes. Thats why updating about that new project, responsibility, or accomplishment is so important.Your resume is a marketing tool for you to show your strengths and skill, she emphasizes. Make sure that yours is always a powerful, very current, asset.Carol Milano is an independent writer.The point of a resume is citing your accomplishments and giving the specifics what you did, and how you did it.Lisa Dickter, Career and Professional Development Center, Carnegie Mellon University

Information on Marine Corps SERE Training

Information on Marine Corps SERE TrainingInformation on Marine Corps SERE TrainingStory by Cpl. Ryan D. Libbert Note The Marine Corps does not have a single drehort for SERE Training. The Marines conduct SERE training at various Marine Corps installations throughout the world. CAMP GONSALVES, Okinawa, Japan In the northern jungles of Okinawa theres a group of individuals stranded, without the aid of food, water, shelterand the basic necessities required to survive. They are tired, hungry and looking forward to going home at the end of their ordeal. This may sound like an episode of Survivor, and in a sense it is. But instead of contestants, the individuals participating are U.S. Marines and there isnt a million-dollar prize at the end. Survival, Evasion, Resistanceand Escape training (SERE) is held monthly at the Jungle Warfare Training Center at Camp Gonsalves. According to Staff Sgt. Clinton J. Thomas, chief instructor at JWTC, the purpose of the course is to teach Marines the ski lls they need should they become separated from their units in a combat zone and must survive off the land while evading the enemy. We focus more on the survival and evasion portions of the course more so than we do with resistance and escape, the Grand Rapids, Michigan,native said. We teach them enough to survive on their own in the Okinawan jungle. If you can do that, you can survive just about anywhere. The 12-day course is broken down into three phases classroom instruction, survival and evasion. During the first three days, Marines are put in a classroom environment where the instructors teach them the basics of survival. They are taught how to identify and catch food, build tools, start firesand construct shelter. The survival phase takes place on a beach where the Marines put the training they received to use by surviving on their own for five dayswith nothing but a knife, a canteen and the camouflage utility uniforms on their backs. The brde phase of the course is four days long and the Marines are broken into teams of four to five men. The teams must stay on the move through the muddy and tangled jungle to avoid being captured by students from the man-tracking course. Weve built our own POW (prisoner-of-war) camp where we stick the students if they are captured, Thomas said. Theyre forced to wear the POW uniforms we made and the instructors interrogate and attempt to pry information from them to test their resistance level. We set them loose after several hours so they dont spend the entire evasion period in the POW camp. During their time in the POW camp, Marines are subjected to forced labor such as digging trenches, filling sandbags and cutting wood. They are also put in a small three-foot squared cube-like cell where they are tempted with food to give up information. While evading capture, the Marines are given free range to move anywhere they like within JWTCs 20,000-acre training grounds. When evening draws near, they are instructed to find a sa fe zone where the captors are not allowed to enter. If able to reach the safe zone, the students can get five to six hours of sleep per night. If they do not find the zone, they are still subject to capture and may get onlya few hours of sleep if any at all. The average student loses 12-15 pounds while going through the course. During their time in the field they must rely on the nutrition given to them through natural food sources in the jungle, such as plant roots, snakes, insects and fish. Participating students learn to get through the torment of starvation and weariness by staying motivated and appreciating what they are going through. I thought the survival portion was very interesting, said Lance Cpl. Daniel L. Pendergast, rifleman with 1st battalion, 25th Marine Regiment now assigned to 4th Marine Regiment. Im not used to catching my own food and finding or building my own shelter. The course has shown me where my limits are as far as how long I can go without food. Learning how to deal with that is the only tough part.

Read What an Old Pro Thinks About Restaurant General Manager Resume

Read What an Old Pro Thinks About Restaurant General Manager Resume Normal job searches are becoming longer and longer, and therefore do not become discouraged. You could still receive the job. The job covers different regions of the food enterprise. You might not be able to discover the specific job youre looking for. It is possible to either receive a similar job in the identical industry, receive a different job in the identical industry, receive a similar job in a different industry or receive a different job in various industry. Organise your employment history in such a manner that the work related to your latest job is highlighted. Transportation jobs involve plenty of responsibility and your resume will want to reflect you can take care of that. If youre attempting to obtain work in accounting or finance you require averystrong resume. The Number One Question You Must Ask for Restaurant General Manager Resume Figure out what type of locations you wish to submit an a pplication for. In addition, you can learn more on the subject of food service careers on Monster. Furthermore, a copied resume isnt authentic and wont ever be as effective for you as a resume written especially for you. Going to the restaurant and obtaining a feeling of the way the place runs could provide help. Get the Scoop on Restaurant General Manager Resume Before Youre Too Late General managers are liable for the financial and operational functioning of the restaurant. An overall manager oversees the full establishment. Finding jobs as an overall manager isnt always simple. The overall manager of a specific bank location is known as the branch manager. Business proprietors also want to understand if you comprehend the objectives of your job as Restaurant Manager. Some also decide to open up their very own restaurants or franchise from a big corporation. As an example, managing food cost is extremely important. There are lots of managers who also mingle with guests and get to understand them, and also concentrate on customer services. When youre prepared to apply, a number of the above applications will request a picture in addition to a resume. You ought to know the business from the bottom up. Restaurant General Manager Resume - the Conspiracy The responsibility and importance connected with the position might vary among companies and often is contingent on the hierarchical structure of the firm. The managers are people who are to monitor the employees like, if theyre on the correct track and the work is operating in a smooth method. Detecting a listing for an open dishwashing position is normally simple, but securing such a position isnt always so easy. When you apply, you might have to read the work description carefully. Facts, Fiction and Restaurant General Manager Resume A prompt and creative thinking is necessary by the managers as a way to fix the issue effectively. You can trust the ideal essay help online. Understandin g how to tailor your resume will obviously provide you an advantage. As an overall manager, it would become your job to ensure the kitchen is well-stocked with food supplies. The typical salary for a great many restaurant managers is about $49,420 each year. So as to develop you as a prosperous restaurant manager professionally and personally the manager must shell out time at restaurant perfecting his essential leadership abilities. The normal assistant manager needs to be prepared to fill any role at any moment. The Ugly Secret of Restaurant General Manager Resume Restaurant managers are liable for each and every part of the hiring process for all their employees including interviewing, hiring and training. Normally, you compose all excellent things in a resume summary information that will guarantee that the hiring manager keeps reading the resume, and doesnt put it down so which he or she is able to select the subsequent one up Please get in touch with us to find out mo re about our professional resume writing services. The Upside to Restaurant General Manager Resume While assistant general managers typically dont need to be English professors, a number of your kompetenz candidates may not be exceedingly keen on working with a business that lacks basic understanding of the English language. It is going to be better if you currently have prior managerial experience as it only suggests that youre already conscious of the things you want to execute should you get hired. If do not have any experience in the restaurant business but experience elsewhere, attempt to relate your previous positions to the job available. To submit an application for a course with no prior expertise at work would be an awful move according to Tracey.

Resume Writing Platform - Overview

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