Joy Journal

Every Friday, you can receive the Joy Journal, which will give you information, inspiration and tips that you can use in your pursuit for joy.

Do you want to hear something funny?

Final journal about a quote

“The wise rest at least as hard as they work.” — Mokokoma Mokhonoana

“Ha ha ha! Rest…there’s no time to rest. There’s too much to do and not enough time to do it,” says many high achieving professionals. I know. I have been one of those people.

But here’s what you need to understand: R&R is AS MANDATORY as productivity, especially if you want high productivity levels to be sustainable. Here are three ways in which you can rest.

Breaks: The brain needs a break every 90-120 minutes during the workday. When you take a break, you spark creativity, can see the bigger picture more easily, increase productivity and improve focus.
Unplug hours: To manage stress effectively, you have to unplug on a daily and weekly basis. Your body was not built to endure chronic cortisol (stress hormone) and adrenaline floods. When you unplug, you give your sympathetic nervous system a break so your parasympathetic nervous system can heal and restore you to optimal performance.
Vacations: The respite effect of vacations improves productivity by 80%. Also, a 9-year study showed that those who took more yearly vacation were less likely to die from any cause than those who take less. The challenge is that Americans only take 70% of their allotted vacation time.

I get it. Rest is actually quite difficult for many of us. Even if your body rests, your brain may not. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still strive for more relaxation.

One tip: Schedule it like any other meeting or appointment. Block the time proactively so something else doesn’t get in the way.

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