Rest and productivity are seen to be two things contrary to one another. If you are resting instead of working, you are seen as slacking, not pulling your weight. You are made to think that you are not being productive enough!

Resting has Bad Rep

Our culture sees work as something bad. That’s why we always think that no matter what happens, no matter how tired we are, how badly we need a break, we keep pushing ourselves to do more, be more. We end up getting more and more exhausted, barely scraping through with deadlines, doing the maximum effort to get minimum results. We are like donkeys, chasing an ever evading carrot that is forever out of our reach, no matter how hard we try.

What Happens When We Don’t Take a Break

We don’t want to stop and take a break, take a breather because we don’t want others to think we are slacking, that we are lagging behind. As a result, we start feeling disillusioned. We feel miserable. Moreover, we keep thinking that if taking a break, having a moment to ourselves is unproductive. But this is such a huge misconception. In fact, taking a break, choosing to rest are all steps fueling our productivity and our ultimate success.

Rest and Subconscious

Do you know that our subconscious holds the key to lots of facets of our beings, the solutions to many of our problems, our intuitive instincts, the roadmap ahead. But when we are conscious, awake and alert, this domain remains inactive. We don’t allow it to take over for the fear of losing control, losing our productivity. However, once we allow our brains and bodies to go off the grid and rest, we allow our subconscious to emerge and take over.  

Our brain is still processing things in a state of rest, assessing possible angles to an issue and trying to find solutions.  It is amazing how certain solutions to the most pressing problems emerge when we are not obsessing over them, only if we let ourselves do that. That is, take a break in a guilt free manner and savor it. Our mind and body would thank us in ways we can’t imagine!

So don’t be afraid to take periodic breaks, even if it is the mid of the week, if you feel exhausted.

• Skip a day at work if you can afford or get off work earlier.  
• Have a simple, nourishing meal.
• Go for a walk.
• Take a nap.
• Prioritize the ‘me time’ by reading a book or watching a good movie.

These are some of the things I did this Wednesday to give myself a break from projects that were giving me more stress than joy. I will be ready to pick the ball up tomorrow and work with a renewed energy!

Hope you would do the same whenever you feel overwhelmed!

Wishing you all a productive rest of the week and a happy weekend!