Understand, embrace, and USE ‘incubation’

Ever taken a few months off training and surprised yourself how good you were upon returning?

Almost like you’d somehow improved without even doing anything? 

Suddenly beating people with ease? 

That’s cos you just incubated 

Incubation refers to deliberately taking time off from practicing a skill to allow the neural patterns associated with that skill to set in 

I first learned about this like 10 years ago when I read the following study:

An orchestra had to learn new piece of music for a big musical 

Researchers split the orchestra in two groups

One group had to rehearse every single day until the show

One group had to take 1-2 days off (can’t remember how many exactly) each weeek up to the show

The second group reported feeling way more in control during the performance and that they had learned quicker than the first group 

Which lead researchers to conclude that tactical periods of rest allows a skill to settle into the brain easier and your performance of the skill to improve 

This is why philosophers and inventors come up with their best ideas when walking in the park or in the shower etc

Joseph sugarman also touches on this in his book ‘the adweek copywriting book’

He says it’s because the conscious mind processes information into the subconscious during these periods of rest (incubation), and when information enters your subconscious is when you begin to master it…

Try it for yourself - work really hard at learning something then take a few days off and return to it, see if you improve…"