Episode 156: Not the Monk I Used to Be

TOPIC: Better Sleep Habits

This week, Dan and Merlin do a deep dive on building better sleep habits with a focus on the paradoxes and planning of daily activities that can make all the difference.

Links for this episode:

• [SPONSOR] Application Performance Management & Monitoring | New Relic
  
• [SPONSOR] Build a Website — Squarespace
  
• [SPONSOR] lynda.com library | Trial Subscription
  
• [SPONSOR] Smile - Welcome Back to Work Fans!
  
• 5by5 | Amplified #87: No Mac Pro for Me
  While at NAMM, Jim joins Dan and special guest Merlin Mann to talk about their favorite Macs new and old, the future of the computer in the home, the power of portable and wearable devices, amps, guitars, Yamaha's purchase of Line 6, new gear, why Jim isn't getting a new Mac Pro, and more.Special guest Merlin Mann.
• Logos Made Simple — The Official Squarespace Blog
  Squarespace Logo helps anyone create a simple logo on their own. Logos can be comprised of a few basic elements: text, a tagline, and an icon. With the help of The Noun Project and Google Fonts, we provide a huge array of icons (7,000 and growing!) and fonts that you can easily turn into a unique logo for your business.
• A Redesigned Help Experience — The Official Squarespace Blog
  
• Rod Smart - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Torrold DeShaun "Rod" Smart (born January 9, 1977) is a former professional American football player. He played college football for the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers, and began his professional career in the short-lived XFL, where he played running back for the Las Vegas Outlaws and was known by the nickname "He Hate Me". He then played briefly in the Canadian Football League (CFL) before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He then spent four seasons with the Carolina Panthers, 2002–2005, playing in Super Bowl XXXVIII. He has also been on the roster for the San Diego Chargers (in 2000) and the Oakland Raiders (in 2006) and was selected to play in the never launched All American Football League.
• "Bob's Burgers" (2011)
  Bob's Burgers centers on the Belcher family (consists of Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene and Louise) who own a hamburger restaurant
• How Sleep Deprivation Decays the Mind and Body - Seth Maxon - The Atlantic
  Sleep deprivation is nearly as misunderstood as sleep itself, but it can physically and mentally harm people in myriad ways. Losing sleep can cause hallucinations, psychosis, and long-term memory impairment. Some studies have linked sleep deprivation to chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and bipolar disorder.
• The Trouble with Snooze Buttons (and with Modern Sleep) : The New Yorker
  One of the consequences of waking up suddenly, and too early, is a phenomenon called sleep inertia. First given a name in 1976, sleep inertia refers to that period between waking and being fully awake when you feel groggy. The more abruptly you are awakened, the more severe the sleep inertia.
• How sleep makes your mind more creative « Mind Hacks
  The experiment illustrates that combining what we know to generate new insights requires time, something that many might have guessed. Perhaps more revealingly it also shows the power of sleep in building remote associations.
• Gaines, on Brains: Alcohol, Sleep, and Why You Might Re-think that Nightcap
  This yielded an interesting result: despite falling asleep faster, the subjects who consumed more alcohol woke more frequently had experienced lighter sleep during the second half of the night.
• 19 Scientific Reasons Why You Should Take More Naps
  Napping is more useful than coffee for getting over your midday slump.
• Goodnight. Sleep Clean. - NYTimes.com
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #90: Quit!™
  This week, Dan and Merlin talk about sleep—why we need it, why most of us don't get enough of it, and why we all strain to find a million excuses for perpetually walking around like a sad zombie.
• SRD:Monk - D&D Wiki
  
• Amazon.com: Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband, Black: Health & Personal Care
  
• ? Viking - YouTube
  
• The Forehead Ticket Trick | 43 Folders
  The car doesn't move until each person takes out their ticket and holds it to their forehead.Been doing it for 20 years, and you’d be amazed how often it saves the day.
• Strother Martin - IMDb
  
• 5by5 | Back to Work #155: Newton's Fifth Law of Politeness
  
• The Rook: A Novel: Daniel O'Malley: 9780316098809: Amazon.com: Books
  

This week’s episode of Back to Work is kindly sponsored by:

• New Relic (Use code “BACKTOWORK” to get your extended 30 day trial)
• Squarespace (10% off with offer code, “FEAR”)
• lynda.com (Start learning now with a 7-day free trial)
• PDFpen by Smile