Sleep is part of the plan: surviving the overnight

Road to HackAthlone: 14 days to go

HackAthlone runs from Friday evening to Sunday evening, and the Engineering Building stays open the whole time. Many people hack through the night. You can join them, sleep at the venue, or go home to a proper bed and come back in the morning. Every one of those is a normal choice.

Whatever you choose, decide it before Saturday evening, not at 03:00. Here’s how to get through the overnight and still speak in full sentences on Sunday.

The all-nighter is overrated

At 02:00 on Sunday morning, staying up feels heroic. On Sunday afternoon, in front of the judges, it feels like a mistake. Tired people write more bugs, make worse slides and lose their words on stage.

The judges see your demo and hear your pitch. They don’t see your sleep tracker. A rested team presents better, and it’s quicker to notice when the demo is about to break.

Plan sleep like a feature

Put sleep on the team plan, the same way you’d put “get the map working” on it.

• Sleep in shifts. Half the team sleeps while the other half works, then you swap. Someone is always moving the project forward.
• Nap before you crash. A short nap when you first start to fade beats collapsing at 05:00.
• Guard Saturday night. If you only sleep properly once, make it the night before the pitch.
• Set an alarm, and tell your team. Nobody wants to wake up and find the deadline has passed.

Pick your spot early

Work out where you’ll sleep before you need to. A corner away from the busiest tables is worth finding while you still have the energy to look. Keep your sleep kit together in one bag, so you’re not hunting for a pillow at 04:00. There are no storage facilities, so keep your laptop and phone close while you sleep.

Pack for sleep

The venue is reserved for the whole weekend, you’re welcome to bring a sleeping bag or pillow, and there’s plenty of space to set up. A few things make it much easier:

• a sleeping bag and a pillow
• earplugs and an eye mask, because a hackathon is never fully quiet or dark
• a warm layer, like a hoodie
• a toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant (your teammates will thank you)
• a change of clothes for Sunday

Time your coffee

Coffee is a tool, so use it on purpose. Have it before the hours you need to be sharp, and never right before you plan to sleep. If you want a nap at 03:00, the double espresso at 02:00 was a bad idea.

Drink water too. Being dehydrated feels a lot like being tired, and it’s much easier to fix.

Eat like it’s a normal day

Snacks are part of hackathon culture, but they’re not a meal. Eat proper meals at roughly normal times, even if you eat them at your laptop. Bring a refillable water bottle and some food you know you like.

Move now and then

Stand up, stretch and walk a lap of the building every so often. A few minutes away from the screen is often all it takes to see a bug you’ve been staring at for an hour.

Be a good neighbour

Some people will be asleep while others are working. Wear headphones, take calls in the corridor and save the celebrating for when the demo works.

If you go home

Before you leave, push your work so the rest of the team has it, and agree a time to meet in the morning. If you drove to Athlone, don’t drive tired. That includes the drive home on Sunday evening after a short night.

If it’s your first hackathon, read Your first space hackathon: what nobody tells you too.