Out of Control

I see stuff like this as more evidence that managers should rethink their in-the-desk-from-9-to-5 mentality:

Psychology researchers performed a study with 16 subjects, each restricted to 5 hours of sleep at night. The subjects were split into 4 groups — no nap, 30-s nap, 90-s nap, and 10-min nap. Subjects that took naps for 90 seconds or less were not found to perform any better on alertness and cognitive tasks. However, subjects that took a 10 minute nap significantly improve performance in multiple post-nap tests. This seems to suggest that only stage 2 sleep helps you recuperate from lack of nocturnal sleep.

Study here; via Tasty Research.

I think one of the reasons telecommuters often work longer and more productively than office workers is because they’re better able to fit in recuperative activities. Even just creating a more comfortable environment—working outdoors from a reclining chair as I recall one design engineer doing, going tie-less (or even less)—helps workers’ brains stay fresh.

Related: Telecommuters Prove More Productive (with comments from yours truly)