A lot of people are wondering how they can do more, as they have more and more demand. I see lot of them trying to see how they can better manage their time and try to squeeze in more work, in the same amount of time, or even worse, at the expense of time off. Time management is one thing. Learning how to say no is another one.
But THE most beneficial tip is completely underestimated, and still the best so far: it is called rest!
Why is it so important to rest?
Rest is when you have your brain disconnect from the work you have to do for a moment. It is about stopping intense focus on a complex task, and release the brain from energy consuming tasks.
This mechanism of letting your brain rest and wander has many benefits:
- It tremendously helps to get more creative.
- Rest also facilitates the process of memorization.
- It allows the body to restore its energy level, required for focus and demanding mental work, like problem-solving.
How to rest efficiently?
Rest can come in many ways. But before, you must get out of guilt to rest when you have work left. You have to find your way out of it.
Most of the time, we have created useless beliefs like “I must finish this first”, “I’ll get in trouble if I don’t answer this email before tomorrow morning” or “I am paid to take care of these responsibilities”.
Think how you could tweek these thoughts to make rest more beneficial than these false threats, like “I’ll be able to sort this out only after a break”, “I must sleep over this before I answer”, “I get to rest so that my head is clear to take responsibilities”, etc.
Then ensure you apply one or several ways to rest over your day and night:
- The first one is obviously making sure you get enough sleep. For most of the adult, it’s 7 to 8h a night.
- Rest can also take the form of regular breaks during your day. 5 to 10 min, at least twice a day, out of any screens. I am a big fan of little “coffee” breaks, that turns to be “water” breaks, not to increase my level of caffeine too much 😋
- A snack, a real lunch break also allows your brain to replenish its glucose reserves and regain efficiency.
- Or just do something else like going on a walk, listening to music, take a short nap, meditate.
I have seen so many people struggling with it (myself included), I can’t repeat this enough. Rest is the best way to balance your energy properly over your day and to increase your productive time over the day.
You do not risk a lot by trying and commit to yourself to rest when you need. You will quickly find the benefits of it. Take care!
