New studies on the impacts of sleep deprivation
Sleep, as I say in my book, is the original deliberate rest, an activity that is both natural, and something we can learn to do better. One reason
“Rest sounds like a straightforward topic. We think we know what it is. Until you start to look closely:” The Quest for Rest
BBC Radio 4 has started a new three-part series on The Anatomy of Rest. The first episode, The Quest for Rest, is being broadcast now. Here's the abstract: Rest sounds
Francine du Plessix Gray on her writing studio and “becoming something I can begin to call myself”
When I was researching REST, I discovered that one of the best sources for material on writer's routines was The Paris Review. (I've posted quotes from other Paris
Interview in Scientific American Mind
The latest issue of Scientific American Mind has an interview with me ("Q&A: Why a Rested Brain Is More Creative") about REST and its big ideas. Ferris
“it was usual in Cambridge to do our main work at night, 9:30 to 2:00 or later:” John Littlewood on morning work
The great English mathematician John Littlewood wrote an essay called “The mathematician’s art of work,” published in The Mathematical Intelligencer in 1978. (Here's a link, though it's behind a firewall.) It's full
Automation, leisure, and the problem of avoiding “overwork for some and starvation for others”
In her essay on the meaning of leisure, Washington Post editor Christine Emba notes that Uber recently announced that it would debut self-driving cars in Pittsburgh later this fall. This, she argues, marks another step
Americans “have lost our understanding of what leisure time should be and why it has value”
Washington Post editor Christine Emba has a good essay on our need to rethink the meaning and use of leisure. Americans "have lost our understanding of what leisure
To create a body of work, you need a body that can do the work
One of the most surprising discoveries I made while writing REST was how many of my subjects-- Nobel laureates, famous novelists, artists, scientists, and others-- were athletes. I had
Sleep appears to reset the brain for improved memory and learning
We all know that periods of sleep deprivation have an adverse effect on mental performance. Particularly when you're young, you can tolerate an all-nighter or weeks of sleep
This is what happens when you write about your book cover
People find old postcards of sling chairs and send them to you. This is one from the 1980s that an aunt just found, scanned, and sent me. The chair from