Well its past the two month mark. I've gradually settled into a polyphasic sleeping pattern of 3.5 to 4.5 hours of core sleep and two or three 30 minute naps. I've been maintaining this without a slip (reboot) for quite some time. This totals about 4.5 to 5.5 hours of sleep a day, which is still a bit more than I had intended at the start of this, but still a gain on my old 8-9 hour sleep per day habit.

I eliminated the mid evening nap as it was usually not productive and seriously impaired my evening activities. I nornally have the most energy late at night anyway, so I am probably riding on that and reducing the need for that last nap. The morning nap is subjective. If I feel very tired, I will take it as it usually helps a lot. If I am feeling energetic, I will skip it. On those days when I get 4.5 hours of core sleep, I usually skip the morning nap.

This particular schedule is a little more flexible, and fits my lifestyle better, which is pretty important for me to stay enthused and motivated to continue. To break it down:

Core sleep : between 2am to 3 am for 3.5 to 4.5 hours
Morning nap : around 9am for 30 minutes (optional)
Noon nap: around 1pm for 30 minutes (always)
Supper nap: around 6pm for 30 minutes (always)

On this schedule, I feel quite normal. I am alert, creative and able to do any activity as if I were monophasic. So I guess I've reached one goal. I've discovered a sleeping pattern that I can maintain for long periods of time that will net me 3.5 - 4.5 extra hours per day.

Next I will venture into the realm of pure polyphasic sleep and see how that goes. How exciting =)