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In my line of work, having to stay at the office through the night in order to meet a deadline is a reality (albeit an occasional one for most of us). Well, my number has come up a couple times in recent weeks. A work project fell behind and required a borderline-unreal amount of work be completed in an extremely short time frame (as is usually the circumstance surrounding the “all-nighter”).
So, after having plowed this road yet again, I’ve had some time to reflect on what I had to do in order to not only stay awake, but crank out code of reasonable quality. While such circumstances aren’t ideal for “knowledge work”, sometimes you simply have no choice but to buckle down and not raise your head until the job is done.
Here are a few tips for making the most of your 24-hour shift:
- Limit Caffeine - though this is normally the first place a person will turn when faced with an extended shift at the office, it’s important to regulate how much caffeine you ingest, especially near the end. Take it from me - I’m one of the biggest fans (and abusers, arguably) of caffeine that I know. Overuse of caffeine will result in the in ability to concentrate, as well as a bad case of the jitters.
- Snack Regularly (and Sensibly) - one of the most common stops among the third-shifters will be the vending machine in the break room. And because said vending machine rarely offers a variety of healthy snacks, the buyer will typically end up with a candy bar or bag of chips or crackers. While I’m certainly not a health nut or anything (and I’m pretty sure the development of Twix took place under divine supervision), you really ought to go out of your way to find things like fruit and nuts to snack on. You won’t experience the sudden surge of energy provided by a sugary snack, it will help you stay alert and generally on a more even-keel than the alternatives. (It’s worth noting that I have no physiological data or research to support the above claim, just personal experience).
- Avoid Sleep at All Costs - probably the biggest mistake I made during one of my recent all-nighters was taking a 2-hour nap about 3/4 of the way through. Admittedly, I was nearing the end of my rope when I did it, but in an effort to try to “re-animate” a little by catching some shuteye I all but doomed myself to poor work and general crankiness once I awoke. If you get to the point where you simply cannot keep your eyes open any longer, it may be time to admit defeat and stop working until you can get a full night’s sleep.
- If You Must Sleep… - if the previous tip won’t work for you and you absolutely must sleep (probably because admitting defeat isn’t an option), try to do so in 15-20 minute increments. Also, I’ve found it helpful to sleep on less-than ideal equipment. Your desk chair is a good example of what I mean. The reason is that if you’re sleeping on a big overstuffed sofa or something, you’re going to have that much more trouble waking and getting back to work. Again, no empirical data in support of this claim, I’ve just found that I work better (and wake more easily) if I nap at my desk instead of on my boss’ plush leather sofa.
- Music, Music, Music - probably the best way to counteract fatigue (which is all but assured in situations like this) is to keep your toes tapping. Find music that is upbeat, energetic and conducive to the environment you’re trying to create. This will obviously mean different things to different people, but this is the time when having an iPod is absolutely wonderful. Oh, and if you have the means, having an iPhone (which I received for Christmas and absolutely love - more on that later) and the ability to buy new music directly from it is absolutely wonderful (and will probably put me in the poor house, but I digress…). Just as an example, I probably listened to “Infinity on High” by Fall Out Boy and “Elect the Dead” by Serj Tankian about 10-15 times each during the last couple of weeks.
- Map Out Objectives Before Starting Work - a very GTD-ish notion, but worth pointing out. If it’s 8:00pm and you know you’ll be watching the sunrise from your desk, it’s best to plot out exactly what needs to be done on a sheet of paper and check things off as you complete them. You don’t want to have to count on your barely-functioning brain to tell you what to do next, especially after you’ve been at it for several hours.
Hopefully these shifts are something you don’t have to endure very often, but being able to really nail a project that’s due will make you look like a rock star. Not to mention the priceless look on the faces of those showing up to work in the morning when they realize you’ve been there since *yesterday*. 
Technorati Tags: productivity, all-nighters, energy, music
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22 Responses to “How to Work Effectively for 24 Consecutive Hours”
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[…] all-night advice, analyse discover tips for actuation an all-nighter studying. Photo by patpompak. How to Work Effectively for 24 Consecutive Hours [The Cranking Widgets […]
Dude: I am sure you are proud of yourself for having put together an article like this, but this is totally unhealthy. It is pure madness. We are all human beings in need of rest, sleep, at least an “ok” diet, and some outside social time other than the net. It is not healthy for anyone to think they can start tampering with their body-clock to make it past the next guy in one’s quest for web dominance, whatever the category or blog may be. There is more to life than pulling a “twenty-four”hour”er”…I only did those in college when I absolutely felt I was gonna fail a test…otherwise, round the clock wakefulness is MADNESS. Cheers.
[…] For more all-night advice, check out tips for pulling an all-nighter studying. Photo by patpompak. How to Work Effectively for 24 Consecutive Hours [The Cranking Widgets […]
@Keith
Your comment leads me to believe that you either didn’t quite get the gist of the post or just didn’t read it very carefully - I’m not for one second trying to glorify these types of situations at work. Aside from the obvious drawbacks in terms of sleep, these all-night binges take days from which to recover (in my experience, anyway).
And the bit about only doing things like this when you felt you were going to fail a test is apropos - except when you fail a test, you aren’t in danger of losing your job and thus being unable to provide for your family.
[…] { February 5, 2008 @ 4:50 pm } · { Uncategorized } { Tags: Stay Focus, Study, Working } 1. Use your 24-hour time Maximum!. Generally you plan to do all your work and study during at night which some of the experts are not encourage students or workers to do their daily jobs at night. one of the reasons that happen to be un-healthy was doing work at night will constrain you eyes and your body to the maximum and gradually decrease your energy and your memory. This eventually make you weaker and tired. This some tips how you can do your all-night wake in a good way: CLICK HERE […]
[…] How to work effectively for 24 consecutive hoursPulling an all-nighter is a reality in some professions. Here’s how to ensure you do your best work! Submitted: 3 minutes ago Category: Entertainment Submitter: RssFeed Website: blog.crankingwidgets.com Report this link: Click here to report Comments: 0 […]
[…] - How to Work Effectively for 24 Consecutive Hours “While such circumstances aren’t ideal for “knowledge work”, sometimes you simply have […]
[…] For more all-night advice, check out tips for pulling an all-nighter studying. Photo by patpompak. How to Work Effectively for 24 Consecutive Hours [The Cranking Widgets […]
[…] How to Work Effectively for 24 Consecutive Hours At various times, I’ve done this working on The Simple Dollar. I’ve stayed up through the night to get a certain amount of writing done. Tactics like these have made all the difference. (@ cranking widgets) […]
Knowing how to manage the all nighter is like knowing how to perform CPR - only used in an emergency. Typically, it’s caused by someone on the project miscalculating how difficult the project is, or the scope of the project changing part way. Sometimes multiple projects pile up at once - either way, it’s not your fault.
Although sometimes it’s us having loftier goals for a project that’s pretty humble itself.
The other tip I have comes from an old roommate - reward yourself with breakfast. He liked a pancake combo from McDonalds, I’ll take my steak sandwich from Waffle House. Nothin’ like a light at the end of the tunnel to power you from 4-7 am!
[…] Cranking Widgets Blog lists excellent tips for “How to Work Effectively for 24 Consecutive Hours“, a couple of which are perfect for workaholics who’re dieting, […]
[…] and more “oh crap production is down and I have to get it fixed”, but this advice on how to be productive for 24 hours is pretty […]
[…] How to work for 24 hours. http://blog.crankingwidgets.com/2008/02/04/all-nighter-tips/ […]
[…] [[Link]] […]
@ Keith
I think a smart guy like the author would know this is unhealthy, so stating it isn’t really something ground breaking.
Nice article.
Couple of extra tips. The body takes a while to get deep enough into sleep to gain some benefit. 3 hours is considered the minimum to make you more alert (but perhaps under these circumstances just being concious enough to code is all we are after).
Staying awake is easier with lots of light. It helps trick the body into thinking it’s still daylight.
A bit of physical activity every couple of hours, even if it’s just hurrying to the snack machine rather than sauntering will keep you more alert.
This is madness! But perfect for college students! How else will they make it to graduation without all-nighters?
[…] How to Work Effectively for 24 Consecutive Hours Share with other Students: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
Hey awesome article, i thank you very much,
my sleep schedule has been blown out of whack since i don’t get tired until about 4-5 am anymore i really needed a guide like this to help me last a full night to get me back in bed at 10.
[…] respecto. Hace rato causalmente me encuentro con un artículo que bien podría ser el antagonista: ¿Cómo trabajar efectivamente 24 horas consecutivas?, donde nos ofrecen 6 recomendaciones para […]
[…] de esos días” en que tienes que estar despierto las 24 horas (como Jack Bauer), en The Cranking Widget dan 6 buenos consejos, traducidos por Victor […]
[…] una jornada maratónica de 24 horas o al menos cubrir la noche entera, estos tips publicados en Cranking Widget, te serán de gran ayuda para lograr vencer el […]