Genius means thinking outside the box. We owe this world to geniuses. You are reading this article using a highly intricate digital device with the help of the internet, and these facilities would have never existed if there were no geniuses who were brave enough to follow their imagination, helping humanity in the process.
And while this post pays tribute to some of these geniuses, it has more to do with their quirky sides. I mean, after all, you can’t expect someone to conform to the societal standards of normalcy while also coming up with original ideas, right?
So here is a list of some amazing thinkers with oddball thinking habits that are random, but yet are credited with enabling these people to come up with some of the most creative ideas in history.
Yoshiro Nakamatsu
Dr. Nakamatsu of Japan is the most ‘inventive’ inventor in recent history, and yet he remains virtually unknown. ‘Sir Dr. NakaMats’ (as he likes to call himself) has more than 3000 inventions patented to his name, one of them being the floppy disk that he patented 62 years ago.
So how does this genius think? Turns out that Dr. Nakamatsu’s methods are as amazing as his output.
To start off, he fully submerges himself in a full water tank until he is close to drowning. This is where he claims that his brightest ideas come to him. These ideas are then written down on an underwater notepad before swimming back to the surface.
But while this technique may look quirky, it actually has physiological logic behind it. Diving deep underwater starves the brain of oxygen, thereby helping him think of solutions to complex problems.
The ‘Edison of Japan’ also has an elevator in the house, which he calls a ‘vertical moving room’ to help think better. But perhaps most astonishing is his gold-tiled bathroom that blocks out ‘television and radio waves’ as these waves apparently aren’t conducive to creative thinking.
Thomas Edison
Another great thinker, Thomas Edison had a unique way of enhancing productivity: No sleep.
Technically speaking, Edison subscribed to what is known as a polyphasic sleep cycle:
“Polyphasic sleep is a strategy employed by some people who want to spend more time awake. The aim is to have several shorter sleep periods throughout the 24-hour day, rather than one 8-hour sleep period through the night. Advocates claim that this allows the practitioner to sleep less total time, and therefore have more time for waking activities. The idea is that with more waking time, the person will be able to accomplish more productive work.”
Edison slept upright on a chair with a steel ball-bearing in each hand with metal saucers placed on the ground. As soon as he fell into a deep sleep, the hands would loosen, the balls would fall and make a striking sound as they hit the saucers. As a result, Edison woke up!
However, do remember that polyphasic sleep isn’t without its demerits. What worked for Edison might not work for. Stick to a good night’s sleep to be a better decision-maker! (Link the sleep article here)