The Mythical Work Ethic of Leonardo da Vinci: ⏰😴22-Hour Workday 😴⏰

 

Leonardo Da Vinci’s genius resides not just in what he created but in what he can inspire us to create?

Beyond all his stellar achievements, Leonardo Da Vinci serves as a global archetype of human potential, giving us an intimation of what we ourselves may be capable of doing.

❓Who is Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci an Italian polymath was born in 1452, have known for its inability to give up anything.

Raised by the notion of learning a new skill each day, which served as the foundation for some of his achievements, Leonardo da Vinci has remained at the pinnacle of excellence to this day.

While Da Vinci is renowned for creations like the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper," his passion extended far beyond these works…

He gave us a map, and encouraging us to believe that we are capable of achieving anything.

He challenged the notion that success is limited to specific fields and demonstrated that we can excel in any area we desire.

As a master in various disciplines, Leonardo da Vinci teaches us the potential and capabilities of our own brains.

Starting as a painter and evolving into a prolific architect of humankind, his journey reflects a clear message of endless possibilities.

And many questions too, how does a man would be great at too many fields, which require mastering more than a single lifetime?

When I have gone through his history, found this interesting, according to Leonardo da Vinci, a man could become a master in anything he or she wants.

“Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it-effectively”

The only thing they need is time, can’t borrow from anywhere, ones it done it is done there will be no way to get back.

👉He Gave Us

Leonardo da Vinci is known for his sleep habits and the way he optimized time. Polyphasic sleep is also known as Uberman sleep.

According to that, a man schedules his sleep for 20 minutes every 4 hours, totalling 2 hours of sleep per day.

He specializes in making the most out of the 22 productive hours in his day.

Wait, why should we follow Da Vinci's? We already have well-established and fulfilling routines with occupied jobs. What does it mean to follow the daily schedule of a man who lived in the 14th century?

Indeed, Da Vinci's productivity may have been influenced by the lack of modern distractions present in his time. It's essential to consider the differences in our circumstances and the advancements that have shaped our daily lives. 200 per cent right!

 “The secret of your success is hidden in your daily routine”

We are in a transition period, where the world and its technology are evolving every day. As a result, methods that were once used may become obsolete, and we all seek to embrace new ideas, right?

In our pursuit of new ideas, we may have overlooked valuable and time-tested facts that have led to success and made people successful.

Learning from others is always a valuable lesson, as we can gain insights beyond what we initially thought possible.

Visionaries like Da Vinci challenged the conventional beliefs and broke the universal notion that man should live strictly under certain written rules.

Following the lifestyle patterns of visionaries like Da Vinci enables us to step out of our comfort zone, which we previously considered the safest area.

😪Polyphasic Sleep : Multi-Skilling

 

By taking a short nap of 20 minutes every four hours using the Uberman sleep schedule, you can potentially increase your waking hours and overall lifetime.

An average person typically sleeps 8 hours a day, totaling 240 hours in a month. However, with the Uberman sleep pattern, you would save 180 hours of extra-time in a month. Over the course of a year, this can add up to saving approximately 3 years' worth of waking time.

💡 friendly advice: The shocking truth is that you cannot sustain the Uberman sleeping pattern for your entire lifetime.

You can adopt to the pattern temporarily to help achieve your goals within a certain period.

I tried to bring the best out of myself by following Leonardo Da Vinci’s daily routine. So, I explored the two traits that Da Vinci proudly embraced: polyphasic sleep and multi-skilling.

🛠️Multiskilling

“continue to study and learn new skills” 

Learning multiple skills can prevent boredom and burnout, but it can also lead to frequent distractions and lack of immediate results, making the learning process exhausting and tempting to give up. 🎯

However, the sweetest part comes when you practice and, after a quick restful sleep, immerse yourself in a new activity.

This experience exhilarates you and helps maintain the momentum for extensive learning.

The cycle of practice: rest, and continuous learning.

The next thing I wanted to adopt was Leonardo da Vinci's polyphasic sleep pattern, hoping to learn new skill sets by following his sleep habits.

Here's what I learned from trying to be like Leonardo da Vinci for a week, emulating the lifestyle (0.0001%) of this genius. (Leonardo da Vinci the genius)

🔎 Daily Routine – A Week

 

I set my day to begin at 5:00 am, allowing myself extra time in the morning to kickstart my day. (Unlike Da Vinci, who didn't have a regular sleep pattern)

The rigidity I had was to be awake for almost my whole day like Da Vinci, However, I only allowed myself two hours of sleep, which is somewhat sufficient for me, nope I’m kidding, who would be okay with having perks of sleep like that!

As part of the challenge, I decided to take it on. With ample time available, I explored various interests, and ultimately, I anchored my focus on journaling, blog writing, working out, and learning a new language.

Indeed, Da Vinci dedicated much of his time to painting, excelling as a master in that field.

However, I don't feel as inclined towards picking up a pencil and paper to draw as he did.

Instead, I chose to embrace learning a new language as my way of staying engaged part of the day.

To avoid distractions, I centered and anchored my training in the morning, allowing me to approach work with greater intensity. Later in the day, I focused on learning the new language. Wait which one is it?

Didn’t I mention, oops! It was Japanese 🎌, こんにちは!

Since I didn't have anyone to practice speaking with, I decided to watch anime without subtitles to improve my ability to understand what the characters were saying in the language I was learning.

I began my day with a jog outside and engaged in weightlifting training for 50 to 90 minutes after having a coffee.

Following that, I moved on to have breakfast. To avoid feeling drowsy at my desk, I decided to exclude heavy carbs from my morning menu. Being prepared and organized, I planned everything out in advance to ensure a productive and energetic start to my day.

After breakfast, I started journaling all the tasks I had planned for the day, ensuring that I wouldn't miss anything.

Inspired by Da Vinci's practice of journaling, I realized how beneficial it is to write down everything that amazes me, as it creates a sense of organization and optimization.

As the time approached for my first set of sleep at 9 am, I felt a bit tired but not drowsy, thanks to having a proper meal and engaging in sufficient workouts.

After taking a short nap in the morning, I felt quite energetic, although I still had a slight feeling of tiredness as I tackled my next set of tasks.

After that, I sat down at my desk and devised a plan to work on my language classes.

Unlike Leonardo da Vinci, who didn't have the glorious opportunities we have today, such as the internet that enables quick access to learning resources, I took advantage of it. ✨

I settled at my computer to find the core concepts of Japanese. I focused on learning hiragana, katakana, and kanji, as they were considered to be the most important aspects of the language.

I didn't want to waste time on useless vocabulary that only gives a false sense of pride. Instead, I wanted to fully immerse myself in learning and mastering the language.

I made good progress with hiragana and katakana within a short period, but kanji seemed like an endless journey.

So, instead of overwhelming myself with numerous kanji characters, I decided to focus on learning just 200 kanji words and their sounds.

I dedicated the entire morning to studying Japanese until it was time for my afternoon nap.

During this time, I had a lunch consisting of watery foods and fruits, which helped me stay awake and alert for extended periods.

Unfortunately, lunch made the whole afternoon more challenging. During my nap, I almost fell into a deep sleep and could have ended up spending the entire afternoon in bed. However, I had set an alarm beforehand, which thankfully woke me up in time. 😴

Throughout the evening, I kept myself occupied by writing a blog to avoid putting too much strain on my mental well-being.

Since I have some expertise in research and SEO, I easily got into the flow of work without much effort.

I selected a concept, weaved a story around it, and managed to complete half of the blog within just 3 hours.

By immersing myself in the writing process and staying focused on the screen, I felt a sense of fulfillment, making the afternoon feel worthwhile after a long time.

During the 3rd nap, I surprisingly didn't feel any tiredness, so I decided to get back to work instead of waiting for the sleep to come. Afterward, I thought about how to utilize the time and ended up spending an hour on social media, updating my posts.

As the time approached for the 4th nap, I felt the sleepiness and tiredness in my eyes, making it difficult to keep them wide open to see the laptop screen.

Subsequently, read a book about Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson which brought the flow to the next tasks.

Since I didn't have any new tasks at hand, I decided to use the time for language training and improving my keyboard typing skills, both of which had always fascinated me.

I tried following Da Vinci's routine for three days, but eventually, I had to drop it. Although it helped me develop my focus, I also experienced self-doubt and felt exhausted, leading to headaches and 12-hour-long sleeps.

While Da Vinci's routine may offer benefits, it also comes with challenges.

Initially, I had no issues, but as I progressed to the second day, I felt the pain building up. It's unlikely that anyone could sustain such a routine for a lifetime. However, it was definitely worth a try.

Though there is no concrete evidence that Leonardo da Vinci lived with this specific routine, he remains a timeless genius from whom we can learn valuable lessons.

“Learning never exhausts the brain”