The main question hakaton: sleep or not sleep?
Hackathon is the same marathon, but instead of the calf muscles and lungs, the brain and fingers work, and in effective products and marketers there is also vocal cords. Obviously, as in the case of the legs, the reserves of the brain’s resources are not unlimited and sooner or later he must either be kicked or put up with the physiology alien to persuasion and sleep. So which strategy is more effective in order to win the typical 48-hour hackathon?
In the US Air Force review report on the use of stimulants to counteract fatigue, the minimum time of NEP (very short sleep) is given for at least some improvement in working capacity. “Each specific sleep period should be at least 45 minutes, although longer periods (2 hours) are better. Whenever possible, such a dream should occur at standard night time. ” Aleksey Petrenko, who participated in a major banking hackathon, advises using similar tactics, but in combination with proper nutrition.
In skillful hands with an open redbulla can, the strategy of complete sleep deprivation can also be effective. All teams have a limited resource - time, but for those who decide to sacrifice sleep on the altar of victory (check the prize pool in advance), an even more limited resource is concentration of attention. Even the most superficial googling will let you understand that concentration of attention is directly related to the lack of sleep. Therefore, the strategy looks very simple - the team must do everything that is associated with high concentration of attention in the first place. For convenience, you can select the iteration. The first iteration is all that without which the final pitch will not work - the code, the interface, the presentation (at least a text one). If you feel that the time of peak brain performance is coming to an end, then you need to focus all efforts on completing the first iteration. Then, under cover of night, when the team is connected to the system of supplying energy drinks to the body, you can do the second iteration - the one about beautiful code, neat icons and illustrations in the presentation.
But this does not mean that you need to lash energy wholesale five-liter jerry cans. Remember that the main stimulating effect in energy is achieved with the help of the old — good caffeine, and not with taurine and vitamins at all. Three hours later, after drinking a can, one more is needed - and after all, all manufacturers write that they should not drink more than two cans of the magic drink. Thus, you have a maximum of 6-7 hours of “boost” at your disposal, which will complete the second iteration of the project.
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Surprisingly, the most "cheat" strategy on the hackathon is normal healthy sleep. Only the most disciplined teams can bring it to life. After all, in order to turn off the laptops right in the midst of the creative process and just go to sleep, you will need a strong will power. In assessing the gain from such an approach, let’s go from the opposite. A sleepy team will gain advantages in a number of skills that are directly dependent on how well the brains are rested: reaction time, concentration, ability to memorize, and even the ability to critically assess. Can you imagine how offensive it is to lose the hackathon because of the team leader, who, after two cans of energy and a scant two hours of sleep, didn’t appreciate the resources at the very morning and simply forgot that there was no solution to the presentation? As the slogan of IKEA says, “sleep better”.
So after all, what to do in the middle of the night on the hackathon? There is no unequivocal answer to this question - it all depends on the complexity of the task, the efficiency 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
In the US Air Force review report on the use of stimulants to counteract fatigue, the minimum time of NEP (very short sleep) is given for at least some improvement in working capacity. “Each specific sleep period should be at least 45 minutes, although longer periods (2 hours) are better. Whenever possible, such a dream should occur at standard night time. ” Aleksey Petrenko, who participated in a major banking hackathon, advises using similar tactics, but in combination with proper nutrition.
“If it’s a very professional approach to the question, then this is like a recommendation for the session. If you sleep - then for 1.5 hours with any multiplier. For example, sleep 1.5, 3, 4.5 hours. Still need to consider how much time you fall asleep. If I want to sleep 1.5 hours, then I set the alarm for 1 hour and 50 minutes - because I fall asleep for twenty. The main thing - do not eat in the process of slow carbohydrates, constantly monitor the level of sugar in the blood. Many of my friends, who constantly win, have some kind of super-algorithm for a combination of cola, vegetables and periodic consumption of fast food. ”
Do not sleep!
In skillful hands with an open redbulla can, the strategy of complete sleep deprivation can also be effective. All teams have a limited resource - time, but for those who decide to sacrifice sleep on the altar of victory (check the prize pool in advance), an even more limited resource is concentration of attention. Even the most superficial googling will let you understand that concentration of attention is directly related to the lack of sleep. Therefore, the strategy looks very simple - the team must do everything that is associated with high concentration of attention in the first place. For convenience, you can select the iteration. The first iteration is all that without which the final pitch will not work - the code, the interface, the presentation (at least a text one). If you feel that the time of peak brain performance is coming to an end, then you need to focus all efforts on completing the first iteration. Then, under cover of night, when the team is connected to the system of supplying energy drinks to the body, you can do the second iteration - the one about beautiful code, neat icons and illustrations in the presentation.
But this does not mean that you need to lash energy wholesale five-liter jerry cans. Remember that the main stimulating effect in energy is achieved with the help of the old — good caffeine, and not with taurine and vitamins at all. Three hours later, after drinking a can, one more is needed - and after all, all manufacturers write that they should not drink more than two cans of the magic drink. Thus, you have a maximum of 6-7 hours of “boost” at your disposal, which will complete the second iteration of the project.
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All by the rules
Surprisingly, the most "cheat" strategy on the hackathon is normal healthy sleep. Only the most disciplined teams can bring it to life. After all, in order to turn off the laptops right in the midst of the creative process and just go to sleep, you will need a strong will power. In assessing the gain from such an approach, let’s go from the opposite. A sleepy team will gain advantages in a number of skills that are directly dependent on how well the brains are rested: reaction time, concentration, ability to memorize, and even the ability to critically assess. Can you imagine how offensive it is to lose the hackathon because of the team leader, who, after two cans of energy and a scant two hours of sleep, didn’t appreciate the resources at the very morning and simply forgot that there was no solution to the presentation? As the slogan of IKEA says, “sleep better”.
So after all, what to do in the middle of the night on the hackathon? There is no unequivocal answer to this question - it all depends on the complexity of the task, the efficiency 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!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/452348/
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