Rest

How are you feeling this week? I’ve spoken to a lot of people recently who are feeling a little weary from the extra pressures and challenges that lockdown is creating, particularly in terms of their work.

Last week as I juggled family life and work I found myself feeling overwhelmed by how much I had to do. My initial instinct was to push through and trust that once I had got more done I would feel better. However, at lunchtime on the Friday I read a Facebook post from a leader and friend who I really respect. He shared how exhausting it has been leading his organisation through so many changes and that he recognised that he just needed to take a week off and let his body and his mind rest. His words stopped me in my tracks and I didn’t do any work again until Monday morning.

There is a common assumption that if we work harder and longer we will get more done. For some of us it’s driven by our desire to get our work done before we can relax (hands up all the Myers Briggs J’s!), for others of us it’s what we’ve seen modelled to us by family and colleagues and for some us perhaps it’s a deep desire to be seen as successful. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that it happens in organisations (and now homes) across the country.

But what if we could work less and achieve more?

In one study scientists working 35 hours a week were half as productive as those working only 20 hours a week. Those putting in 60 hours were the worst of all. 

If our desire is to accomplish more, then rest is just as important as work.

In his book on ‘Rest’ Alex Soojung-Kim Pang says:

‘We think of rest as a negative space defined by absence of work but it’s really much more than that. The counterintuitive discovery is that many of the most restorative kinds of rest are actually active. Things like exercise or walks or serious, engaging hobbies do more for you than sitting on the couch binge-watching television. The more supine kinds of rest certainly have their place but active rest delivers the greatest benefits. It also provides occasion for creative reflection.’

So as we head into another weekend of lockdown how can you rest?  And what might active rest look like? 

When we rest it gives us a sense of perspective and helps us focus on what is really important to us. Suddenly the concerns and questions that appeared so urgent when we were sat at our laptop give way to more meaningful priorities like  relationships and our health.

One of the questions I’ve heard lots of people asking recently is - when life returns to normal do you want to return to the way things were previously? 

Do you want to work the same hours? 

Do you want to spend as much time travelling? 

Do you still want to do the same kind of work?

Whilst much of this lockdown is deeply frustrating I wonder if it offers us a unique opportunity to step back and reflect on what we really want to do with our lives. To create new rhythms that change the way we live and work.

I’ve recorded another short video with fellow coach Laura Duggal where we explore this further.