The Polyphasic Experiment
Test how far you can push sleep, with honest flags, before you decide it's worth it.
By Tom OkaforUpdated
Overview
A three-hour core sleep and three 20-minute naps, spaced evenly through the day. It's contested, it's uncomfortable, and this framework is honest about both. Work is arranged around the naps: deep work from 4:30 am, a long late morning, and meetings in the afternoon, plus a Saturday morning on a side project. Eating is squeezed into a 16:8 window of two meals, HIIT three evenings a week, and a long climb on Sundays. The extra hours go to research, reading and games late into the night. Read the flags before you copy it: most people can't keep this up, and missing a single nap undoes the day. What you'll learn: exactly what your body will and won't give up, measured rather than guessed.
Goals
Who's it for
At a glance
- 3 hr sleep per night
- 67.5 hr work per week
- 2 meals per day
- 6 hr eating window
- 10 hr learning per week
- 3.5 hr movement per week
- 17 hr play per week
Sleep
31.5 hours/week3 hr per night3 × 30 min nap
- Every day1:00 AM → 4:00 AM· 3 hr
- Nap 18:00 AM · 30 min· Every day
- Nap 22:00 PM · 30 min· Every day
- Nap 38:00 PM · 30 min· Every day
Work
67.5 hours/week12 hr 30 min a day3 hr 30 min deep work3 hr 30 min meetings5 hr 30 min other
Nothing on Sun
- Deep work4:30 AM → 8:00 AM· 3 hr 30 min · Weekdays
- Work8:30 AM → 2:00 PM· 5 hr 30 min · Weekdays
- Meetings2:30 PM → 6:00 PM· 3 hr 30 min · Weekdays
- Deep work8:30 AM → 1:30 PM· 5 hr · Sat
Eat
7 hours/week2 meals18:6 eating window1 hr 30 min eating
- Lunch2:00 PM → 2:30 PM· 30 min · Every day
- Dinner6:30 PM → 7:30 PM· 1 hr · Every day
16:8 · eat 2:00 PM → 10:00 PM · Every day
Learn
10 hours/weekResearch 9:00 PM
Nothing on Sat
- Weekdays9:00 PM → 10:30 PM· 1 hr 30 min
- Sun3:00 PM → 5:30 PM· 2 hr 30 min
Move
3.5 hours/weekHIIT 6:00 PM
Nothing on Tue, Thu, Sat
- HIIT6:00 PM → 6:30 PM· 30 min · Mon, Wed, Fri
- Climb10:00 AM → 12:00 PM· 2 hr · Sun
Play
17 hours/weekVideo games 10:30 PM
- Weekdays10:30 PM → 12:30 AM· 2 hr
- Sat8:30 PM → 12:30 AM· 4 hr
- Sun8:30 PM → 11:30 PM· 3 hr