Rest assured. The caption of this blog post came to light after I read Greg McKeown‘s recent email newsletter with the subject line ” Breakthroughs begin with a break “. Simple yet profound. Thank you Greg.
While exhaustion might be the body language that our culture brandishes unabashedly as an acknowledgment to the perennial quest called productivity, let us take care to note at that time, our brain is as effective as our smartphone on 2% battery level. Sure it will work, but barely and certainly not for long.
There has been always something obscene about the cult of the hustle, the treadmill of alienated insecurity that tells you that the moment you stop running for even an instant, you will be flung flat on your face*.
Talk about self optimisation- as if human beings are search engines??
Can we flip the script? How about treating rest as a competitive advantage? Rest can be our secret weapon. The ace in our pack. Rest is not just about Netflix and naps( though, must admit those are glorious). It is about giving your brain and body the space to recharge so that it comes sharper, brighter and more creative. A classic example is that of Serena Williams, the tennis legend. She is an advocate for rest hard. Not just training hard. She has often spoken openly about downtime, rest, sleep, recovery. Sleeping for 9 plus hours only betters her cognitive sharpness, reaction times, muscle recovery as all of it are engineered through rest. And it has not in any way slowed her down. On the contrary, it has only propelled her forward. Just 23 Grand Slam haul– good enough?
We all are familiar with the coveted ” shower thoughts “. Increasingly we realise that some of our best ideas are coming in the shower. Why? It is because our brain is finally got a chance to breathe, step back, connect the dots which we fail to notice in the tyranny of chaos. Archimedes and Eureka anyone?
The perception that we fall prey to is that rest is reward. That myth has to be busted. Rest is like a Formula 1 Pit Stop. Much needed to keep all our engines running. It is like the Oxygen mask that we need to wear first before taking care of or helping others. It is the strategy that separates the amateurs from the pros. And rest certainly is NOT something you earn after climbing Mount Productivity.
The myth of the hustle culture has been selling us this lie that grinding 24X7 is the only way to succeed. That hustle culture is like the over hyped influencer on Instagram. Flashy, loud and ultimately exhausting. Sure, it looks good in the moment, but deep down you are aware that it is unsustainable.
Burnout is not a badge of honour. Though the zeitgeist will want us to believe that. A classic example is that of Ariana Huffington. After collapsing from exhaustion, she made rest her mission. She authored a book on sleep, started a company devoted to well-being and became the global advocate for the power of rest. And shall I add she is not exactly slacking in the metric of success.
When Microsoft Japan experimented with the 4 Day Work Week Rule, it was observed that productivity increased by 40%. Turns out that people work far better when they are not on caffeine fumes and regret.
Look at these examples for motivation:-
LeBron James, One of the GOAT in basketball– sleeps 12 hours a day. More time on c ourt. Less wear and tear.
Einstein slept for 10 hours a day. Follow the great ones. Theory of Relativity, not a coincidence.
Jeff Bezos: He prioritizes eight hours of sleep, claiming it helps him make “high-quality decisions.” And when you’re running a trillion-dollar company, a few bad decisions can cost billions. So yeah, sleep is a business strategy.
Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t create Hamilton by grinding nonstop—he was on vacation when the idea struck. “The moment my brain got a moment’s rest, Hamilton walked into it,” he said.
If top athletes, artistes, game changers and scientists do it, what’s your guilt? Because society has sold us the lie that exhaustion equals dedication.
Rest isn’t a reward; it’s like saying oxygen is a bonus for breathing. You need it to survive, let alone thrive. So, let’s stop pretending that taking a nap is something you earn after a long day of work. It’s time to acknowledge that rest is the unsung hero of productivity. Without it, you’re just running on fumes, waiting for your engine to seize up. So, go ahead, take that walk, or better yet, take a nap. Your brain (and your boss) will thank you.
Embrace slow productivity as Cal Newport articulates in his brilliant book of the same name. It is a book that challenges the myth that more hours equals more success. Nature does not hurry, yet everything gets accomplished.
“Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence.” — Alan Watts
Now, go take that nap. You’ve earned it. (Wait, no—scratch that. You deserve it, not because you’ve earned it, but because it’s your strategy.)
Signing off- to go horizontal for a bit!!!
- From Wired article by Laurie Pennie
So well articulated! And, yes I wish organisations see “Sleep” as their business strategy and get rid of the hustle culture.
Indeed Bhavani. Agree. Unless we encourage the ” pause for nothingness ” as a compelling corporate strategy, everytime rest will come with guilt attached