Nap Culture is the New Corporate Revolution
Dear Uncle Bobby –
Dear Uncle Bobby, Every afternoon around 2:30, I hit a wall. My eyes glaze over, my productivity tanks, and all I can think about is crawling under my desk for a quick nap. But napping at work seems… frowned upon. Any advice?
Running on Fumes
Oh yes — the Afternoon Death Zone, where ambition goes to die and your soul starts whispering, “Just close your eyes… just for a second…” And yet, despite centuries of human biological evidence that we aren’t designed to be fully conscious all damn day, society has deemed napping to be “unprofessional.”
Unprofessional? Darling, you know what’s unprofessional?
Me staring at a spreadsheet for 23 minutes without typing a single keystroke while my brain quietly reboots in Safe Mode.
So let’s talk about Nap Culture, shall we? Not just naps — Nap. Culture. A full-blown movement. A lifestyle. A corporate insurrection where the power nap becomes the power move.
First step: normalize the drool. No more shame for catching a little REM between budget reviews. Slap a Post-it note on your forehead that says, “Do Not Disturb: Innovating Horizontally.” That’s not a nap — that’s a strategic recharge window.
Second: repurpose the conference room. Why have another soul-crushing Zoom call when you could fill that space with bean bags, blackout curtains, and the faint sound of ocean waves? Imagine morale skyrocketing as Greg from Accounting finally stops twitching.
Third: rebrand sleep entirely. We don’t nap — we micro-recover. Call it “conscious disengagement.” Throw in some productivity lingo and suddenly everyone’s doing it. “Did you see Sheila? She hit REM during her third cycle. Very agile of her.”
Now, I won’t lie — you’re gonna face resistance. There will be “coffee warriors” who act like exhaustion is a badge of honor. These are the same people who brag about sleeping four hours a night and aging like dried fruit. You must ignore them. They fear what they do not understand: rest.
In conclusion, don’t just sneak naps — institutionalize them. Push for a C-level role called Chief Dream Officer. Introduce “Snore & Reflect” sessions every Wednesday. Replace the motivational poster that says “Rise and Grind” with one that says “Lie Down and Conquer.”
Nap hard, my friend. Drool with pride.
Because if we’re gonna be underpaid and overworked, we might as well be well-rested while doing it.
– Uncle Bobby