The Stall Nap
The most difficult thing about making the transition from college to full-time work was adjusting to being awake for more than eight consecutive hours. Being accustomed to short classes and frequent breaks, sitting in front of a computer for one workday became a rather daunting task.
I first discovered I might have this problem during my internship the summer before my senior year of college. Being lucky enough to work with friends, I was even luckier to share a large cubicle with a close classmate, and we spent ample time discovering new ways to whittle away eight hours of the day in the office.
It started off innocently enough. For the BART ride into the city, I would bring my summer reading novels. With nothing to do all day, and boredom to overcome, I couldn’t help but begin reading these novels while in the office to prevent myself from dozing off. Strategically hiding my novels underneath my keyboard, I quickly ran out of books to read. And so it began. The art of sleeping at work.
During that internship, I perfected the technique of sleeping while sitting up – which I dubbed the “Subtle Sleeper.” My head would just slightly nod over the keyboard, while my right hand peacefully rested on the mouse. And if I were to ever hear anyone walking by my cubicle, I would start moving the mouse around, never opening my eyes. This easily worked during my internship since I sat in the back corner of a cubicle and faced a wall. The only thing people could see while walking by was my back.
However, when I began working full-time, I was faced with a completely new situation. Instead of a cubicle set-up, my office was a sea of open desks. Well, my company was small, so not quite a sea, but more like a puddle. With this open desk set-up, Subtle Sleeper would be a definite failure. I had to come up with something else – something better. Enter the Stall Nap.
It is important to note here that I was not just working a normal eight-hour day. At this time, my typical day lasted anywhere from 12 to 15 hours.
Now, there are other ways to fight sleepiness on the job, and trust me, I’ve tried all of them. I’ve written pages of gibberish in order to keep myself busy. I’ve drank glass after glass of water. I’ve listened to loud music. But all of these methods only offered me five to ten minutes of respite from the power of sleep. When it finally became too painful to fight back falling asleep, I had to resort to the Stall Nap.
For 10 to 15 minute periods, I would go to the bathroom, find a nice, quiet stall (preferably one against a wall to prevent being surrounded by actual bathroom users), put the seat cover down, sit, and sleep. Oh, the relief of being able to close my eyes – what bliss! And then I discovered I wasn’t the only one.
While on a project, one of my coworkers disappeared to the bathroom. Soon thereafter, another coworker also went to the bathroom. When Coworker #2 returned, he described what just transpired.
“I went into the bathroom and [Coworker #1] was just sitting in a stall. There was no movement, so finally I asked [Coworker #1] if he was okay. After a shift of the feet, he said he was fine. And then it dawned on me. ‘Are you taking a nap?’ I asked. ‘Yeah. Go away, I’m trying to sleep,’ [Coworker #1] responded. ‘If you’re sleeping, then why are your pants down?’ I asked. ‘I’m trying to make it look real!’ [Coworker #1] squeaked back. To which I laughed, and then ran back here to tell you guys.”
After this, almost every one of my coworkers admitted that they also use the Stall Nap – and each one had a slightly different technique. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so bad that I couldn’t stay awake for more than eight hours at one time – I felt like part of the club!
As for me, I don’t go for the realistic look during my stall naps. I’m perfectly happy keeping my pants on while feigning bathroom use, and if someone figures me out, I could care less in the happy dreams I am having.
I first discovered I might have this problem during my internship the summer before my senior year of college. Being lucky enough to work with friends, I was even luckier to share a large cubicle with a close classmate, and we spent ample time discovering new ways to whittle away eight hours of the day in the office.
It started off innocently enough. For the BART ride into the city, I would bring my summer reading novels. With nothing to do all day, and boredom to overcome, I couldn’t help but begin reading these novels while in the office to prevent myself from dozing off. Strategically hiding my novels underneath my keyboard, I quickly ran out of books to read. And so it began. The art of sleeping at work.
During that internship, I perfected the technique of sleeping while sitting up – which I dubbed the “Subtle Sleeper.” My head would just slightly nod over the keyboard, while my right hand peacefully rested on the mouse. And if I were to ever hear anyone walking by my cubicle, I would start moving the mouse around, never opening my eyes. This easily worked during my internship since I sat in the back corner of a cubicle and faced a wall. The only thing people could see while walking by was my back.
However, when I began working full-time, I was faced with a completely new situation. Instead of a cubicle set-up, my office was a sea of open desks. Well, my company was small, so not quite a sea, but more like a puddle. With this open desk set-up, Subtle Sleeper would be a definite failure. I had to come up with something else – something better. Enter the Stall Nap.
It is important to note here that I was not just working a normal eight-hour day. At this time, my typical day lasted anywhere from 12 to 15 hours.
Now, there are other ways to fight sleepiness on the job, and trust me, I’ve tried all of them. I’ve written pages of gibberish in order to keep myself busy. I’ve drank glass after glass of water. I’ve listened to loud music. But all of these methods only offered me five to ten minutes of respite from the power of sleep. When it finally became too painful to fight back falling asleep, I had to resort to the Stall Nap.
For 10 to 15 minute periods, I would go to the bathroom, find a nice, quiet stall (preferably one against a wall to prevent being surrounded by actual bathroom users), put the seat cover down, sit, and sleep. Oh, the relief of being able to close my eyes – what bliss! And then I discovered I wasn’t the only one.
While on a project, one of my coworkers disappeared to the bathroom. Soon thereafter, another coworker also went to the bathroom. When Coworker #2 returned, he described what just transpired.
“I went into the bathroom and [Coworker #1] was just sitting in a stall. There was no movement, so finally I asked [Coworker #1] if he was okay. After a shift of the feet, he said he was fine. And then it dawned on me. ‘Are you taking a nap?’ I asked. ‘Yeah. Go away, I’m trying to sleep,’ [Coworker #1] responded. ‘If you’re sleeping, then why are your pants down?’ I asked. ‘I’m trying to make it look real!’ [Coworker #1] squeaked back. To which I laughed, and then ran back here to tell you guys.”
After this, almost every one of my coworkers admitted that they also use the Stall Nap – and each one had a slightly different technique. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so bad that I couldn’t stay awake for more than eight hours at one time – I felt like part of the club!
As for me, I don’t go for the realistic look during my stall naps. I’m perfectly happy keeping my pants on while feigning bathroom use, and if someone figures me out, I could care less in the happy dreams I am having.
posted by danielle at 1:31 PM
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