It is fabled history (perhaps true) that the great inventor and artist Leonardo Da Vinci slept an average of 2 hours a day. It is argued that this mastery of his sleep schedule is what helped him achieve the feats of genius he is known for including imagining technologies well before his time,  producing timeless works of art, and sketches of goofy man-bird flight machines. Da Vinci was apparently an aficionado of the powernap getting in 20 minutes of sleep for every 4 hours of waking time and he was very deliberate in his sleep patterns. Other great figures of history are said to have emulated this sleep routine hoping for similar depth of purpose including such people as Napoleon Bonaparte and Thomas Jefferson. As rough as this practice can be on a person’s immediate physical well being, it is said to have a sustained durability after a treacherous adjustment period.  I can’t guarantee anyone that by adopting this practice that they will suddenly find themselves in the annals of historical greatness. Nevertheless I invite people to explore the possibility and challenge of controlling their sleep and managing it in small doses. The amazing part of this effort is the recovered hours and minutes fought back. There are many far out thoughts and perspectives that the regained hours and time can bring. The wee hours of the night can be spent generating the great works and projects you have always wished to complete but could not fit into your heavy working and sleeping schedule. Gradually and incrementally you might even be able to whittle that 1/3rd average lifetime figure down to a 1/4th or 1/5th. It’s up to you to decide what is more precious to you: time awake or time asleep. A full 8 hours can be a blessing or a hindrance and who knows a flash of late night inspiration could inspire you to plot some of the boldest and brightest of ideas you ever have in a lifetime.