Rest - A Winning Strategy for Productivity

Imagine how much more productive you would be if you felt completely rested.

With today’s ever-changing and fast paced environment, there are actually SEVEN types of rest we need to truly wind down and relax.

1. Physical Rest (i.e. sleeping) allows the body to relax, recover and rejuvenate. However, according to the CDC, 35% of Americans get less than 7 hours of sleep each night and many of us wake up feeling exhausted.

2. Social Rest is needed to unwind from the demands put on us by others and the constant interaction we get through our relationships. This doesn’t infer the relationships are bad, but they do require our energy. Downtime or self-time is helpful for recovery.

3. Sensory Rest is when we are constantly bombarded by sights, sounds, smells, etc. With our level of engagement in technology, we experience this almost constantly throughout the day. We need time to unplug.

4. Mental Rest helps us quiet the mind. In a previous post I shared how adults make approximately 35,000 decisions every day. Using meditation can help your brain relax and better process all the minutiae.

5. Emotional Rest addresses the swings of emotions, whether you feel excited, anxious, fearful, angry, or unappreciated. These take a toll on how we react. Take time to think about how you are feeling and why – don’t just ignore it.

6. Creative Rest is not just for artists. It is what helps us think about different solutions to problems at work, allows for innovation. Taking a step away from our redundant day to day processes and behaviors can help re-engage our creative side.

7. Spiritual Rest allows us to live with purpose. It helps define what matters most and the value of our actions. While technically we might be doing “all the right things”, if they have no meaning it doesn’t feel like true success.

Looking at this list you may feel exhausted – so many more things to do just to feel rested, right?! Start by working on these one at a time, adding in 5, 10 or 15 minutes consistently so they become a habit. You can even accomplish a couple at the same time!

• Start going to bed 15 minutes earlier (physical).

• Enjoy your morning coffee outside by yourself, without any devices (social, sensory, mental).

• Take 5 minutes at lunch to meditate and reflect on how you feel (mental, sensory, emotional, spiritual).

• Play outside with your family, do your favorite hobby (creative).

• Volunteer in your community (spiritual).

Just… rest.