Hello!
Welcome to Monday.
This week we're talking about rest.
Rest is a crucial aspect of health that needs to be prioritized in the same way that we prioritize nutrition, training, and sleep. Yet most people don't take time for purposeful rest.
Here's why rest is so important, and how you can add effective rest into your routine.
Importance
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” - Ghandi
Everyone is busy these days. It seems like we never have enough time in the day to get everything done. Our to-do lists are getting longer, despite us being busy all day long.
Our work quality is suffering, our relationships are strained, and our bodies don't look like we want them to.
Is it hard to get out of bed in the morning? Do you dread your alarm going off? When was the last time you woke up with energy and excitement to start the day?
If you can relate to any of this, you need to start prioritizing rest.
I know you're probably thinking that you don't have time to rest. I get that. Prioritizing rest may seem like a waste of time, especially when you have so many other things to do.
But the truth is, if you rest effectively, you actually gain that time back.
Being well-rested means you work more effectively, your productivity increases, your performance improves, your relationships improve, and your mood gets better.
All of these are going to lead to you actually having more time. You'll also live a more meaningful and enjoyable life.
Imagine waking up with energy and excitement, heading into work to work on meaningful and impactful projects, spending quality time with your family in the evening, and then getting a good night of sleep.
When we're resting, our brains are able to process everything we've been working on. We also improve our capacity for creativity and problem-solving.
When we're constantly working, our brains never have a chance to let everything sit. We can't process things and come up with new solutions to problems.
Implementation
“Ours is a culture where we wear our ability to get by on very little sleep as a kind of badge of honor that symbolizes work ethic, or toughness, or some other virtue—but really, it’s a total profound failure of priorities and of self-respect.” - Maria Popova
In our society, being busy is a badge of honor. So I'm telling you now that rest is hard work. But it's 100% worth it. You don't need to be busy to be successful, valued, or admired. It’s not about being busy - it’s about working effectively and living a meaningful life.
Here are some strategies that will help you rest effectively.
1. Schedule rest
If something is on our schedule, we're way more likely to actually get it done. If you don't schedule it, it probably won't happen. Especially when you've got an endless to-do list.
2. Include practices for solitude and stillness in your day
It's so important to have time where you're alone and away from any input from the outside world. It's important to be alone with your mind on a regular (ideally daily) basis. This is crucial for checking in with how you're actually feeling, the state of your mind, and your overall mood. So often we have no idea how we're actually doing because we're always bombarded by outside things.
3. Establish hard edges in your day
Make sure you know "this is work" and "this is rest". The two shouldn't overlap.
4. Master transitions
Building on the last point, use your transitions effectively. I'm sure we've all felt the impact of not managing transitions properly: you have a stressful day at work, carry that stress into the car while you sit in traffic, and then carry all of that frustration and stress home, where you're tense, on edge, and have low patience with the people most important to you.
Taking even 30 seconds to reset and transition between phases of your day can stop the cycle of stress and frustration, and will allow you to show up as your best self in every aspect of your life. Any time you find yourself in a transition, set an intention. How do you want to show up in your next activity? Think about the energy you'd like to cultivate, and the mood you'd like to bring.
5. Take days off
So many people work every day of the week. Maybe you're not at work, but do you check your work email? Do you knock out a few tasks on a Saturday morning? Make sure you have at least one day each week where you do no work-related activities. Take the day completely off. We need these breaks to rejuvenate before getting back into our work.
6. Work in sprints
Working hard for a period of time and then taking a rest is the most effective way to work. Try to work in 1-2 hour blocks, followed by a 10-15 minute break. If you can, get away from your desk and go for a walk outside. It's important to get out of the work environment, and moving our bodies is a great way to take an effective break.
Before You Go
Here's some reading for you this week:
7 Bad Habits That Are Preventing You From Having the Body You Want
A Step by Step Guide to Help You Sleep Better, Starting Tonight
5 Essential Morning Habits to Set Up Your Mind for Daily Productivity
Here’s How to Create a Morning Routine That Will Support Your Mental Health