The joys of the “all-nighter”

As we enter the realm of midterms, some of us, whether it be due to our own slacking or seemingly impossible workloads, will begin pulling the dreaded "all-nighters" that let us get ahead on school work and behind on life.

Purists argue that you have to get no sleep at all in order to really pull an all-nighter, whereas others would classify any night up after 4 or 5 a.m. as one.  

Regardless of where you draw the line, I'd like to share a few of the positive sides of dreaded late-night studying. Designer Bruce Mau specifies 43 points for how he approaches his projects in his "Incomplete Manifesto for Growth."

Here are few to inspire you at 5 in the morning:

5. Go Deep.

The deeper you go the more likely you will discover something of value.

8. Drift.

Allow yourself to wander aimlessly. Explore adjacencies. Lack judgment. Postpone criticism.

13. Slow down.

Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves.

18. Stay up late.

Strange things happen when you've gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you're separated from the rest of the world.

25. Don't clean your desk.

You might find something in the morning that you can't see tonight.

27. Read only left-hand pages.

Marshall McLuhan did this. By decreasing the amount of information, we leave room for what he called our "noodle."

39. Coffee breaks, cab rides, green rooms.

Real growth often happens outside of where we intend it to, in the interstitial spaces — what Dr. Seuss calls "the waiting place." Hans Ulrich Obrist once organized a science and art conference with all of the infrastructure of a conference — the parties, chats, lunches, airport arrivals — but with no actual conference. Apparently it was hugely successful and spawned many ongoing collaborations.


   1. 43. Power to the people.
   0. Play can only happen when people feel they have control over their lives. We 
   0. can't be free agents if we're not free.

You can read all 43 points on Bruce Mau's website.