The main hackathon question: to sleep or not to sleep?
A hackathon is the same marathon, but instead of the calf muscles and lungs, the brain and fingers work, and effective products and marketers also have vocal cords. Obviously, as in the case of the legs, the reserves of the brain’s resources are not unlimited and sooner or later it needs to either kick or come to terms with physiology alien to persuasion and sleep. So which strategy is more effective for winning a typical 48-hour hackathon?
The US Air Force review report on the use of stimulants to counteract fatigue provides the minimum “NEP” (very short sleep) time for at least some improvement in performance. “Each particular sleep period should be at least 45 minutes, although longer periods (2 hours) are better. If possible, such a dream should fall on standard night time. ” Alexei Petrenko, who participated in a major banking hackathon, advises using similar tactics, but in combination with proper nutrition.
In skilled hands with an open redbull jar, a strategy for completely deprivating sleep can also be effective. All teams have a limited resource - time, but for those who decide to sacrifice a dream on the altar of victory (check the prize pool in advance), an even more limited resource is concentration. Even the most superficial googling will let you know that concentration is directly related to lack of sleep. Therefore, the strategy looks very simple - the team must do everything that is associated with a high concentration of attention in the first place. For convenience, iterations can be distinguished. The first iteration is all that without which the final pitch will not work - code, interface, presentation (at least text). If you feel that the time of peak brain productivity is coming to an end, then you need to focus all efforts on completing the first iteration.
But this does not mean that it is necessary to whip the energy sector with wholesale five-liter canisters. Remember that the main stimulating effect in energy is achieved with the help of good old caffeine, and not with taurine and vitamins. Three hours after the drunk can, one more will be needed - and all manufacturers write that you should not drink more than two cans of the magic drink. Thus, at your disposal there is a maximum of 6-7 hours of “boost”, which will complete the second iteration of the project.
Surprisingly, the most “cheating” strategy on a hackathon is a normal healthy sleep. Only the most disciplined teams are able to bring it to life. After all, in order to turn off the laptops right in the middle of the creative process and just go to sleep, you need extraordinary willpower. In assessing the gain from this approach, let's go from the opposite. A slept team will receive benefits in a number of skills that directly depend on how much the brain has rested: reaction time, concentration of attention, ability to remember, and even the ability to critically evaluate. Imagine how insulting it is to lose a hackathon because of a team leader who, after two cans of energy and a stingy two hours of sleep in the very morning, could not evaluate the resources and simply forgot that there was no solution to the problem in the presentation? As the IKEA slogan says, “sleep better.”
So after all, what to do in the middle of the night at the hackathon? There is no definite answer to this question - it all depends on the complexity of the task, the effectiveness and experience of the team, and even on the type of coffee purchased by the hackathon organizers. Perhaps you know some more successful strategies? Share in the comments!
Sleep in phase
The US Air Force review report on the use of stimulants to counteract fatigue provides the minimum “NEP” (very short sleep) time for at least some improvement in performance. “Each particular sleep period should be at least 45 minutes, although longer periods (2 hours) are better. If possible, such a dream should fall on standard night time. ” Alexei Petrenko, who participated in a major banking hackathon, advises using similar tactics, but in combination with proper nutrition.
“If you take a very professional approach to the issue, then it’s like recommendations for the session. If you sleep, then for 1.5 hours with any factor. For example, sleep 1.5, 3, 4.5 hours. You also need to consider how much time you fall asleep. If I want to sleep for 1.5 hours, I start the alarm for 1 hour 50 minutes - because I fall asleep for twenty. The main thing is not to eat slow carbohydrates in the process, constantly monitor the level of sugar in the blood. Many of my friends who are constantly winning have their own super-algorithm for a combination of cola, vegetables and periodic consumption of fast food. ”
Do not sleep!
In skilled hands with an open redbull jar, a strategy for completely deprivating sleep can also be effective. All teams have a limited resource - time, but for those who decide to sacrifice a dream on the altar of victory (check the prize pool in advance), an even more limited resource is concentration. Even the most superficial googling will let you know that concentration is directly related to lack of sleep. Therefore, the strategy looks very simple - the team must do everything that is associated with a high concentration of attention in the first place. For convenience, iterations can be distinguished. The first iteration is all that without which the final pitch will not work - code, interface, presentation (at least text). If you feel that the time of peak brain productivity is coming to an end, then you need to focus all efforts on completing the first iteration.
But this does not mean that it is necessary to whip the energy sector with wholesale five-liter canisters. Remember that the main stimulating effect in energy is achieved with the help of good old caffeine, and not with taurine and vitamins. Three hours after the drunk can, one more will be needed - and all manufacturers write that you should not drink more than two cans of the magic drink. Thus, at your disposal there is a maximum of 6-7 hours of “boost”, which will complete the second iteration of the project.
All by the rules
Surprisingly, the most “cheating” strategy on a hackathon is a normal healthy sleep. Only the most disciplined teams are able to bring it to life. After all, in order to turn off the laptops right in the middle of the creative process and just go to sleep, you need extraordinary willpower. In assessing the gain from this approach, let's go from the opposite. A slept team will receive benefits in a number of skills that directly depend on how much the brain has rested: reaction time, concentration of attention, ability to remember, and even the ability to critically evaluate. Imagine how insulting it is to lose a hackathon because of a team leader who, after two cans of energy and a stingy two hours of sleep in the very morning, could not evaluate the resources and simply forgot that there was no solution to the problem in the presentation? As the IKEA slogan says, “sleep better.”
So after all, what to do in the middle of the night at the hackathon? There is no definite answer to this question - it all depends on the complexity of the task, the effectiveness and experience of the team, and even on the type of coffee purchased by the hackathon organizers. Perhaps you know some more successful strategies? Share in the comments!
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To sleep or not to sleep?
- 26.7% Sleep for wimps 34
- 73.2% Sleep with alarm clock 93