Last Friday I travelled up to London by train to attend a business networking party in the evening, followed by workshops all day on Saturday and Sunday.  I didn't get home till late Sunday evening, caught up with emails etc. on Monday, and by late Tuesday morning I had a headache and felt like every brain cell was full to bursting with all the impressions of people and ideas I'd absorbed.  I couldn't do another thing until I'd given myself a chance to let all this information settle and be processed.

Need a Break? Take a Nap.

The best way I've found to deal with this situation is to go for a nap, and it's one of the best perks of working from home as far as I'm concerned.  There can't be many bosses who'd respond too well to being told 'I'm not feeling very productive today, so I think I'll just stay at home and come in when I feel more in the mood.'

My faith in naps dates from years ago when I ran an office cleaning business in a very hands-on way.  I was often physically tired after an early morning start and needed a sleep before going out to see my cleaners in the evening.  When I talk about naps I don't mean a 20 minute 'power nap', either.  I mean a two hour sleep in bed.

I'm not the only one to advocate an afternoon sleep. Winston Churchill was a confirmed believer and said, 'Don't think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day.  That's a foolish notion held by people who have no imagination.  You will be able to accomplish more.'

It seems to have worked for Churchill during the Second World War and it worked for me the other day -- I woke up headache-free and brimming with ideas for my blog and a new information product I'm writing.  I highly recommend you give it a try when you're working from home, in a hotel room, on a train or plane.  If you're feeling blocked, short of ideas, tired, or at a dead end, close your eyes and let your subconscious do the work for you. You'll be amazed by the results!

Photo Credit: Nathan Jones