The Secret of Rest
You can stop what you’re doing — but somehow get way more done.
Generous people, myself included, give to others before taking care of themselves. Add in being generous and being in service to a mission, and self-care tends to really get sidelined. We sacrifice their sleep, pay, family time, you name it, for a cause because…isn’t changing the world worth the sacrifice?
Sacrificing self-care or your well-being in support of a mission does NOT work long term — in fact, I’ve seen it be a road to burnout and martyrdom.
Rest is the most productive thing you can do for yourself and what you believe in.
Here are 3 things you can do today that will create productive rest and positive change in the world — and your world.
1) Take breaks if you want a breakthrough
Albert Einstein knew this. When he was noodling on a big question of the universe (which was often), he wouldn’t sit at his desk and push through…he would play the violin!
According to his second wife Elsa, she shared how playing the violin allowed him to be more productive:
“Music helps him [Einstein] when he is thinking about his theories…He goes to his study, comes back, strikes a few chords on the piano, jots something down, returns to his study.”
The research also shows that long breaks are integral to achieve those “Eureka” moments! I talk about it a bit more in this blog post.
Einstein and his beloved violin. The next time you feel the urge to leave your computer and play some music and engage in an activity you love, I highly recommend you do it.
2) Super simple — sleep more
Sneak that snooze. Better sleep improves memory, mood, and performance. In a study of hospital interns on night duty (aka-sleep deprived on purpose workers), their work performance declined significantly after a couple of weeks when they got more sleep.
For the parents out there of young children, I know sleep can feel like a pipe dream. Even if you can’t get a full night’s rest, please take that vacation!!! I couldn’t have a blog post about rest without inserting a fact about how vacations are essential for longterm health.
There isn’t consensus in the scientific community about why we sleep works the way it does, but just know…it does. And act accordingly. A Washington Post article from January 5, 2024 called “Your brain needs more rest than you’re giving it. These 9 tips can help” talk about a study with a surprising connection between vacations and heart disease from this study:
This is probably more correlation than causation, but it’s a good reminder to take that vacation and get that rest. Book that ticket, head to the beach, and get that massage. Your doctor will approve!
3) Advocate for yourself — create tangible pockets of rest in your life
My Friday rest practice has led to some of my best work. This year, I started a practice that I call “Focus Friday.” Instead of breaking it down, I’m going to share a screenshot of my Friday out of office message that details it all. I think it’ll make you smile and inspire you to give it a try!
This kind of change takes time — but try these 3 things and see what happens. Rest massively informs the EQ of Wealth training I created for wealth-owning women who want to change the world — it’s the rocket fuel we need to not only make the most impact out of our time, but also extends the time we have. We have big stuff to do, so rest up.
I wish you rest and rejuvenation. It’s your personal road to productivity!
