The Importance of Rest & Recovery from Work.

I have so many clients (including myself sometimes) who struggle to take time off work when they get busy.

They listen to the part of their brain that says, “Come on, we’ve got too much to do and there’s no time to rest” and keep working.

The problem with this approach is that its unsustainable. You can reference old sayings like “all work and no play make Jack a dull boy” or research studies that show that time away from work is a necessity not a nicety to staying focused, healthy, and energetic at work to recognise the problem.

In our current world, it’s so easy to be available for work whether we are in the office or not because of technology and it’s become so much harder for many of us to switch off and rest. The urge to work is too strong and it’s so easy to get on our computer for a few hours here and there, with many of us becoming proud of our work ethic.

This way of working can be effective when we look at it through the lens of output – we stay productive and may become successful in our chosen careers, so our brains log this as a winning strategy and suggests we rinse and repeat throughout our life.

But the problem remains, it is unsustainable. How long can we keep performing at work at the same high standards when we don’t sleep because we wake up thinking about work, or we don’t fully switch off at night and it’s on our minds when we go to sleep? We are all human and eventually our health will suffer whether that is physically, mentally and/or emotionally.

We need time away from work to recover and recharge. Studies have shown people who are able to detach from their work suffer from less tiredness and procrastination at work, they’re more engaged and have a better work-life balance which leads to improved mental health and enhanced relationships satisfaction outside of work.

Prioritising rest and recovery ironically can make us more productive. We start operating on all cylinders instead of some so we get more done in less time.

If you believed 100% that more R&R in your day was the key to achieving your goals, what would you let of to make room for more rest? Now go and do it!

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. Ovid