It means: sleep when you need to sleep. Even sitting upright — close your eyes when the moment calls for it, drop straight into deep sleep, and after fifteen minutes, wake up and get right back to it.
This ability, in everyone I’ve seen who has it, has never once led to an ordinary life. Almost without exception, they’re the top performers in their fields.
Take a close friend of mine — a born genius at high-frequency trading. More than a few times, right in the middle of us chatting and exchanging ideas, he’d suddenly say: “I’m a bit tired, need to recharge. Fifteen minutes and I’m up.”
And just like that, he’d lie down on the sofa, pull a blanket over himself, and within ten seconds — snoring.
Around the fifteen-minute mark, he’d wake up on his own. Completely refreshed, eyes bright.
Another man I know has the same gift. We were on a flight to Guangzhou once, and right after takeoff he said, “Brother, I’m closing my eyes. See you in Guangzhou.”
Before I could even process what he meant, he was already out cold — and didn’t stir until the plane touched down.
I’ve asked them both directly — were they sleep-deprived lately? Both said absolutely not. Seven hours a night, same as always.
Since then, I’ve been working to develop this ability in myself. Especially when writing — when the thinking stalls, I’ll close my eyes and let my mind go still. And indeed, there have been several times when the lights went out and I opened my eyes twenty minutes later.
In Master Chi’s personal understanding, the key to this state is: you must empty yourself completely — and back it with powerful self-control. Convince your subconscious of one thing: these fifteen minutes of sleep are safe, and they work.
No wandering thoughts. No mental noise.
That’s when it works best. 🤗