Benefits of rest and how to take a rest.

“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” – Alan Cohen

Most of us think about rest as merely the absence of work – not something valuable in its own right. We neglect to take a rest, even when we are not able to think clearly anymore and we can’t progress with what we’re doing.

And when I mean rest, I don’t mean going to the bathroom or checking your notifications on your phone. These do not count as rest.

I’m talking about a restorative rest. A rest you choose to take for a few hours or even minutes every day. A rest that requires your discipline and planning.

Unfortunately…

Rest is seen as idleness or something worse. It’s equated with laziness.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Like most people, I did not think rest would benefit my productivity. Until recently, I liked feeling engaged, busy and occupied with work throughout the day. After getting one task done, I would start the next one quickly. I equated this constant hive of activity with professionalism and accomplishment.

This relentless effort to be productive without taking a rest has an expensive cost.

Be it a decrease in the quality of your work, output, or your mental well-being, you pay a price. Your efficiency decreases. I realized I needed to take breaks in-between my daily work schedule when it took me four hours to write one article that would normally take an hour.

One simple piece of advice can save you from paying these costs. Commit to making time for rest and you’ll have many benefits.

Here are surprising benefits of rest to boost your productivity:

You can face your next task with gusto and motivation.

After each rest, you renew your body’s energy. You reactivate your brain. Your motivation for your next task will be like walking through an open door, instead of banging your head against a wall.

You can achieve more while working less.

Taking a rest benefits your performance. When you treat rest as work’s equal partner, you become more productive. You have a better focus for your next task after each rest. You make less of an effort to get tasks done. You’re more patient, more lenient, and less irritable.

You can achieve success.

Your success depends not just on your work but on your leisure time as well.

Take a look at the working habit of Charles Darwin, author of 19 books including The Origin of Species:

“After his morning walk and breakfast, Darwin was in his study by 8 and worked a steady hour and a half. At 9:30 he would read the morning mail and write letters. At 10:30, Darwin returned to more serious work, sometimes moving to his aviary, greenhouse, or one of several other buildings where he conducted his experiments.

By noon, he would declare, “I’ve done a good day’s work,” and set out on a long walk on the sand walk. When he returned after an hour or more, Darwin had lunch and answered more letters. At 3, he would retire for a nap. An hour later, he would arise, take another walk around the sand walk, then return to his study until 5:30 when he would join his wife, Emma, and their family for dinner.”

His success was dependent on leisure time.

You can take his example to plan and use your leisure time effectively.

You can hone your creative skills.

Rest plays a great role in your creativity boost. Most of us think constant practice is the answer to hone our creative skills.

It’s not. Rest is.

You don’t believe me? Here’s a study that shows how beneficial rest is to your creativity. In 1980, a group of German violin students were highly motivated, practiced deliberately, and with purpose. They took frequent breaks. Each practice session lasted around 90 minutes with short breaks, exercise, and an afternoon nap. They also slept longer each night.

Like Darwin, these students were engaged in their work for about four hours per day.

They mastered the violin, not because of their constant practice. Yes, practice matters. But rest, not just constant practice, allowed these students to hone their creative skills.

So can you.

A few tips on how to take a rest to benefit your productivity:

. Take a nap

Even a short nap of 20 minutes can have restorative power for you.

Sleep scientists have found that even a short nap can be effective in recharging your mental batteries.

. Get enough sleep

If I feel like I need coffee throughout the day to wake me up, what my body needs is more sleep. So I make sure I get enough sleep every night. I’ve no screens (such as TV) in my bedroom.

While our culture may be pushing us toward working overtime, 24/7, this does not help us to be more productive.

You need this ultimate form of rest to boost your productivity.

. Take a walk

Walking is my favorite way to take a break from my work.

Not only is it a form of exercise (which brings blood to the brain), it also helps your brain to engage in a light focus which encourages more mind-wandering. Walking aids your creativity. It refreshes your mind. When you get back from your walk, you get to do your tasks in less time.

. Disconnect from work

When I take a rest, I unplug and remove myself from work. I resist the temptation of using Saturday afternoons to “catch up”.

Set a time on your calendar to disconnect from your work. In this time, you can relax thinking about other things. Don’t check your emails or do any extra work. If you really need to, set aside a specific block of time to do so and stop at the allocated time.

. Schedule gaps in your calendar

I block hours of solid time on my calendar to write and teach my online classes. My calendar also has a gap when I can take a rest.

You need to schedule some gaps or slack in your calendar to take breaks.

I hope you’re now convinced doing less and resting more leads to increased productivity. I hope you now realize you cannot do effective work if you’re always working and not resting enough.

If what you’re aiming for is productivity – or even the creativity required to be more productive – take a rest and let it be part of your routine.

Big takeaways:

Learning to take a break will not only give you the rest you need but also increase your productivity in the long run. If you don’t want to get less and less effective at whatever it is you’re doing, you need to take a rest – an essential form of revitalizing your motivation, boosting your productivity and creativity, and achieving success.

To ensure you have the capacity to work effectively and avoid burnout, replenish your resources. How? Take a nap. Get enough sleep. There is no better balm than nature to recharge your batteries. So take a walk outside. Disconnect from work. Schedule gaps in your calendar to take a rest.

Related:

The Seven Types of Rest