Learn German: Zaubere jetzt, anstatt zu schlafen! - Do magic now instead of sleeping!

Zaubere is the imperative (command) form for one person you know informally (du). To make this command, you take the du form (zauberst) and drop the -st ending. Adding an -e to the end of many informal commands is optional but very common, especially in writing. You might also hear someone just say Zauber jetzt!

Why is there a zu before schlafen?

When you use (an)statt (instead of) or ohne (without) to talk about an action, German requires the verb to be in its infinitive (dictionary) form, with zu placed directly in front of it. Even though in English we say "instead of sleeping", the German structure is closer to "instead of to sleep".

Could I say statt zu schlafen instead of anstatt zu schlafen?

Yes, absolutely! Statt and anstatt mean the exact same thing and are completely interchangeable. Anstatt can sound slightly more formal or emphatic, but you can use either one here.

Do I always need a comma before anstatt?

Yes, when it introduces an infinitive clause. German punctuation rules are quite strict about this: you must use a comma to separate the main sentence (Zaubere jetzt) from an infinitive clause starting with um, ohne, or (an)statt.