Epstein - The 24-hour genius : unlocking your brains potential with strategic all-nighters

Introduction

Its late in the evening, but youre still at your desk, hard at work. Youve already put in more than a full day. Its likely that, if youre at an office, your colleagues have long since left for the night. And if youre plugging away at home, most everyone there is probably in bed. Work is calling you and youre sort of in a zone, or maybe you have a morning deadline to meet and you know can see the finish line. And that presents you with a dilemma, in which you have to choose between two options. On the one hand, your adrenaline pumping, youre tempted to forge ahead and work for as long as the ideas keep flowing, perhaps even until morning. On the other hand, you wonder if the healthier and wiser choice would be to stop and get some sleep. You ask yourself, Cant I just wake up a couple hours earlier than usual and finish up where I left off? Youre approaching the borderline of an uncomfortable territory: the realm of pulling an all-nighter. You dont know what to do.

Youve been at this border crossing before, where two signs are posted. One says: BEWARE! The small print warns you to turn back because this domain is dangerous. It tells you that sleep deprivation will stalk you at every turn, and youll burn out from exposure to the harsh conditions. It suggests you take a detour through a more pleasant country where the workday has proper limits.

But the other sign says: WELCOME! It makes note of some of the luminaries who have passed through here: Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak. They came in search of success. And out there, they found it.

So you stick your toe over the line. But then you stop and pull it back.

What to do? Sure, youve dragged yourself here before, but its never been easy or exactly on your own terms: for instance, when you had to cram for a test in college, or handle an emergency assignment at work. Of course, you found your way back out, but its not something youve ever considered repeating. Until now!

What if I told you that many of the greatest discoveries, innovations, ideas, and creations have come out of all-nighters? What if I told you that all-nighters are a secret to success? What if I told you that all-nighters can help you take your career to the next level? Would you then consider taking up a walking stick and setting out on your own to truly explore this land and its possibilities? Because if you did stand at the frontier, youd see the footprints of creative geniuses that continue as far as the eye can see. Out there at the horizonyoud see where they made the discoveries that changed both their lives and the world. What if you set yourself on a similar trajectory and forged ahead, both aware of and prepared for any bumps? What would you find? What would you accomplish?

You picked up this book for a reason. You responded to the title because youre someone who strives for success. You realize that success often comes from an unorthodox approach that sets you apart from your peers. You wonder whether pulling all-nighters could be such a technique.

You know this, but that warning sign and, perhaps, your own personal history are still giving you pause.

You cant help but reflect on all that advice youve heard over the years about how pulling all-nighters is a bad practice. It has become the scapegoat for everything from poor grades to the abuse by students and young professionals of addictive stimulants. Its frowned upon as the refuge of those who procrastinate, fail to plan ahead, or lack proper organizational skills. Were told that sacrificing sleep is ill advised, and that it leads to sloppy work. Toiling and tinkering day after day out of devotion to your calling is said to indicate obsession and lack of a healthy worklife balance.

Of course, these doubts freeze you in your tracks. But Im here to tell you the truth: Pulling an all-nighter can be your ticket to success.

The 24-Hour Genius will clear away any doubts, handing you a map, a compass, and a backpack, and sending you out on the trail where you can excel. Youll learn about the three types of all-nighters: strategic, mandatory, and preventable. And youll learn when and how to use them to your advantage and how best to manage them.

Its time to take down that warning sign and break it into pieces. You can even stash it in your pack and use it for firewood later, when you work through the night.

Why? Because while the trek can be arduous, its worth it. In your professional career, strategizing these expeditions can be a powerful tool. These journeys can maximize the quality and quantity of your results. Indeed, in the past, pulling an all-nighter was called burning the candle at both ends and was held in high esteem as signifying a sound work ethic. It was known as a habit of hardworking, highly accomplished individuals such as Edison. Such practitioners of this technique knew that all-nighters can ultimately save you time. They understood that all-nighters can mean the difference between just making it, and making the record books. In these pages, youll find the encouragement, guidance, and information you need to do the same. Youll learn to switch on your creative genius, Edison style.

When you scratch the surface of great, real-world success stories, you more often than not find that the key turning point came during a night spent not dreaming, but actively pursuing a goal or a dream. Despite what the critics say, such stories are not myth or exaggeration. They are not about failure. They are about achievement. Such experiences, which have been dismissed as tall tales, legends, or hyperbole, are actually the backstories behind Fortune 500 companies, famous works of art and literature, and extraordinary acts of courage and heroism (from Washingtons crossing of the Delaware to the Apollo 13 mission).