Rest Is Productive: 10 Ways You Can Incorporate Breaks Into Your Routine
I’ll be the first to tell you that girlboss culture had me in a chokehold for years. Many of my days would look like this: wake up, immediately race around my apartment getting ready for the day, work for about eight to ten hours, go home, check work again, and maybe even finish another project before going to bed. I got so much done in my career in those years—I was coined the person who went “above and beyond,” I was able to open doors in my career that I never believed were possible, I was able to triple my salary, and yet…I was absolutely miserable.
I had come to realize that I was living in a heightened state of fight or flight for years. When I finally opened my eyes and realized this, I was shocked at the life I was used to living. I realized it wasn’t normal to be short of breath, break out with stress rashes, have negative self talk on repeat 24/7, and only feeling like I had to prove my worth with my work. The biggest accomplishment I’ve ever achieved wasn’t something tangible—it was shifting my mindset of what work/life balance should be. My life has completely changed since I woke up and decided to prioritize myself and my life just as much as my career.
If you’re reading this and you’re like, damn, that sounds like me, you’re not alone. I can completely relate and just know that there is a way to reprioritize your values of living a softer, balanced life while still killing it with your career. (You really can have your cake and eat it, too.) Here’s how:
Is rest productive?
No surprise here, but rest is absolutely crucial when it comes to your productivity levels, creativity, and health (both mental and physical). Unwinding allows your brain to free up mental space, and in a way, “declutter” itself from high-function activities, like work. When you give yourself the time and space to clear your mind, you unlock more energy, ideas, and inspiration that you can pour into your personal life and your career. You are also able to tap into your intuition more easily and without force since you’re not thinking from a place of stress or anxiety, but a place of balance and intention.
Benefits of rest
Clearer mind
Better work/life balance
Easier to tap into your creativity and intuition
Improves physical and mental health
Doubles energy levels and motivation
How to incorporate rest into your day
First and foremost, remove extra stressors in your life (both big and small). Life is way too short to allow external stressors impact your daily stress levels.
Lean into technology-free activities, like painting, reading, and other hobbies you enjoy away from a screen
Start your day with a journal mind dump, aka Morning Pages, so you can feel at ease when you start your day. Learn more about Morning Pages by reading one of my favorite books on intuition for creatives, The Artist’s Way.
Try the Pomodoro Technique during your workday. You can try the Pomodoro Technique by actively working for 25 minutes, then following it up by resting for 5 minutes. Continue that cycle until your to-do list is complete. (There are a lot of Pomodoro Timer videos on Youtube that you can follow like this one.)
Follow your energy with your workouts (rest can include movement, too!). If you’re feeling fatigued, try a low intensity workout, like yoga or pilates. If you’ve got a lot of energy, dive into a HIIT workout.
Meditate, meditate, meditate. Even if it’s just for five minutes, you’ll see a major shift in your energy and mood after a productive meditation session.
Set intentional boundaries. This is especially important depending on if you’re an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert. Make sure you’re allowing yourself rest depending on what re-energizes you. For introverts, that’s time alone and for extroverts, that’s time spent with others. And if you’re an ambivert like me, finding the balance of both!
Take time to get outside! Studies show that exposure to nature increases attention, lowers stress, and improves your mood.
Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Obvious, I know, but the health experts aren’t lying about this one. Prioritizing eight hours of Zzs really does improve your day-to-day life.
Schedule “you” time, whatever that looks like for you. Block off your work or social calendar, even if it’s for five minutes over your lunch break or an hour after you get home from work. You’ll thank me later.
Learn more about the connection of creativity and rest on my podcast. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
