Why Your Inner Critic Hates Naps: The Science of Productive Rest
Last week, it was 3pm and I stepped away from my desk to take a little catnap.
And yet somehow my head hit said pillow and my brain launched a full prosecution.
“You don't got time for this. You're not even through HALF of your to-do list. Other people in New York City are working right now. Who takes naps on a Tuesday?”
I was just trying to lie down, people.
What’s insane? This activity falls under “recovery” in both mental and physical fitness. It is not only a delightful treat, but it’s an actually incredibly healthy thing to do according to experts like the Mayo Clinic. Short naps (<60 minutes with a sweet spot of 20-30 minutes) boost mood, cognitive function and maybe even brain size).
Oh and I’m pregnant. So I’m growing another human while working! I DESERVE a nap.
Even though I had the excuse of plentiful research, building a company, growing a baby, and I spend my life teaching, coaching and speaking about this stuff and how important it is for productivity, creativity, and … well… everything…
The voice was loud.
This voice that goes off when you want to do something that breaks a pattern, expectation, or productivity streak? Psychologists calls this your "inner critic." I call her what she is: a tiny little #$%! coworker who lives rent-free in my brain and has a LOT of opinions about my productivity, what other people think of me, and how to "stop nappin' and start workin'."
This voice is not wisdom. It's not your conscience. It's your inner critic doing what inner critics do: talking you out of rest, joy, and basically anything that isn't grinding yourself into sunset dust. In other words, there’s a lot it says that is just plain WRONG.
Here's the weird part —the voice can kind of work. It can push you, drive you, and gets you to walk around the block when you’re too tired. It can also drive you crazy 😬
So I made a video about this.
Specifically, about how to make this voice actually work for you instead of against you.
It's under 8 minute. Yes, really.
I've been diligently studying "brevity as the soul of wit," as my husband and Bill Shakespeare are always suggesting.
In it, I'm breaking down metacognition, distanced self-talk, and one tool that sounds completely unhinged but is backed by genuinely killer research (shoutout to Ethan Kross and his team 🙏)—the kind of tool that actually changes how you relate to that voice for good.
AND. There is a very embarrassing personal fun fact in this video that I have been sitting on for a while and I simply cannot hold in any longer.
👀 Again, it’s under 8 minutes, I promise (—> See that hook? Watch out, Gen Z... I'm coming for you.)
P.S. After you watch, reply and tell me what you'd name YOUR inner critic. I need to know. For science.
P.P.S. Feel free to share ideas about what you’d like to see discussed, feedback, or simply emojis to let me know what you think!
