Rest
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
26 min
9 Key Points
4.5 RateWhat's inside?
Discover the power of rest and how it can boost your productivity and creativity, proving that success doesn't always come from hard work alone.
You'll learn
1. Why taking a break boosts your work game2. Easy ways to chill out daily3. Fun stuff that makes you smarter and better at problem-solving4. Juggling work and chill time for top results5. How kicking back keeps you healthy and happy6. Beating burnout and stress at work.Key points
01You don't have to work crazy hours to be successful. History's creative geniuses didn't, so why should you?
The key takeaway from this piece is that you don't have to burn the midnight oil to be successful. Let's look at some of history's brightest minds to illustrate this. Take Charles Darwin, the man who changed our understanding of life with his theory of evolution. He wrote 19 books, including the game-changing "The Origin of Species" and "The Descent of Man". But guess what? Darwin wasn't a workaholic. He only worked about four and a half hours a day. Yet, he made monumental contributions to science. Then there's John Lubbock, a jack of all trades - author, scientist, archaeologist, banker, and politician. He wrote 29 books, served in parliament for over 30 years, invented the ant farm, and made significant strides in archaeology. And like Darwin, Lubbock wasn't chained to his desk all day. He only worked a few hours each day. This isn't just anecdotal evidence. A study in the 1950s by psychologists Raymond Van Zelst and Willard Kerr found that the most productive academics worked between 10 to 20 hours each week. Those who worked 35 hours a week were half as productive, and those who worked up to 60 hours a week were the least productive. The data suggested that 4 to 6 hours of high-quality, focused work each day was all that was needed to be productive. This kind of work, known as "deliberate work", has four main traits. It's focused, it needs a routine, it can only be maintained for a certain number of hours each day, and it's balanced with "deliberate rest". Deliberate rest means taking regular breaks during work and getting plenty of sleep after work. Why is deliberate rest so important? Because it lets our subconscious minds keep working on a problem even when we're not actively thinking about it. This can lead to breakthroughs and creative solutions that we might not have come up with during our focused work time. So, the evidence is clear. You don't have to work yourself to the bone to be successful. A balance of focused, deliberate work and deliberate rest can lead to high productivity and creative breakthroughs.
02Want to be more productive? Get up early and stick to a routine. It works wonders!
The secret to getting more done isn't working more, it's working less. Sounds counterintuitive, right? But it's true, and it's a concept that's been adopted by some of the most successful people in the world. Take Scott Adams, the guy who created the "Dilbert" comic strip. He's an early bird, starting his work day at the break of dawn. This isn't just about getting a head start on the day, it's about tapping into his peak creative energy when it's at its highest. By doing his most challenging work first thing, he's able to be more productive and find inspiration more easily. But it's not just about getting up early. It's about having a structured plan for the day that includes time for rest. Rest isn't just a break from work, it's a crucial part of the creative process. When we work in the early morning, our subconscious minds are still active, allowing us to keep processing our work even when we're taking a break. This isn't just a practice for creative types. Big names in the corporate world do it too. Tim Cook, the big boss at Apple, Bill Gross, who used to run PIMCO, and Jack Dorsey, the guy in charge of Twitter and Square, all start their days between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Even in literature and architecture, this practice is common. Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect, would wake up at 4:00 a.m., work for three hours, and then go back to sleep. Big-name authors like John Le Carré, Ernest Hemingway, and John Cheever also started their writing in the early morning. Maya Angelou had a unique routine where she would rent a hotel room for a few months, leave her home by 6:00 a.m., start work by 6:30 a.m., and write until lunchtime. Gabriel García Márquez, who wrote "One Hundred Years of Solitude", also wrote during his morning hours. So why are the early morning hours so productive? It's all about something called "inhibition". This is our ability to stay focused on a task and ignore irrelevant thoughts. This ability is at its highest when we're most alert and active, which is usually in the morning. On the flip side, our inhibition is at its lowest when we're tired and need a break, usually in the afternoon. Having a consistent routine is key to maximizing productivity. Just like a regular bedtime can improve our sleep, a regular work routine can help us form habits. These habits can boost our creativity and provide a platform for inspiration. When a group shares a routine, it can even improve their collective productivity. Routines are great because they don't require us to use our willpower or resilience, or rely on motivation. This lets us focus our mental energy on the task at hand. Routines save us energy and let us act quickly and creatively. They also protect the time we set aside for rest. Without rest, we can't be creative. But if we're creative with our routines, we can make sure we have time to rest. This balance between work and rest is the key to getting more done.
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03Stuck on a problem? Take a walk. You'll be surprised at the insights that pop up
04Feeling sluggish after lunch? Take a quick nap. It's like hitting the refresh button on your brain
05Don't burn yourself out. Stop work when you know what's next. It'll keep you productive in the long run
06Want a good night's sleep? Make sure you're getting through all 5 sleep stages. It's the best kind of rest
07Feeling drained? Take a vacation. It'll recharge your mental batteries and help you bounce back from stress
08Want to boost your brainpower? Exercise regularly. It's a no-brainer!
09Conclusion
About Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is a Silicon Valley-based consultant and visiting scholar at Stanford University. He specializes in the intersection of technology, history, and culture. Pang is also the founder of the Restful Company, a consultancy that helps organizations use deliberate rest to be more productive.
