I recall reading an article about Max Levchin where he said he started another company (Slide, after selling PayPal to eBay) because he could spend time with his dog and fiancée for maybe 3 hours a day, but what was he going to do with the other 18 hours he's awake? I remember thinking, OK, 24 - (3 + 18) = 3 hours of sleep a night. That's amazing; I wouldn't last a week on that schedule.
I often get the sense from hyperproductive people like Max and his PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel that they think sleep is for the weak; anyone who sleeps 8-10 hours a night must have a serious lack of will. (I don't know if they actually think this; it's just my impression.) And yet, as far as I can tell, all research in the area suggests that the amount of sleep you need is biologically determined. Might it be that the ranks of the super-rich and super-successful are disproportionately filled by those genetically endowed with less need for sleep?
I often get the sense from hyperproductive people like Max and his PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel that they think sleep is for the weak; anyone who sleeps 8-10 hours a night must have a serious lack of will. (I don't know if they actually think this; it's just my impression.) And yet, as far as I can tell, all research in the area suggests that the amount of sleep you need is biologically determined. Might it be that the ranks of the super-rich and super-successful are disproportionately filled by those genetically endowed with less need for sleep?