When Doing Nothing Is Everything
What if the secret to being more productive isn’t doing more, but actually taking a step back and learning to rest?
Hey there,
You know those moments when you sit down at the end of a long day, feeling like you didn’t get enough done? Or maybe it’s mid-morning, and your to-do list stares back at you with a kind of judgmental glare. I’ve been there. A lot. And I’m willing to bet you’ve been there too!
I used to think the solution was to just push harder, to squeeze out a little more effort even when I felt like I had nothing left. That’s hustle culture, right?
However, I’ve recently started thinking that perhaps the most productive thing I can do in these situations is... nothing?
It sounds odd, right? How can doing nothing actually help me get more done? There’s this thing we’ve all noticed at some point. When we force ourselves to keep going even when we’re beat, the quality of what we do drops. We make silly mistakes, we get grumpy, and honestly, we usually end up being pretty slow.
On the other hand, when we take a break and actually rest, we come back sharper. The ideas flow better, we feel more focused, and everything just seems easier. It’s like giving your brain a little recharge instead of running it into the ground. And this is all quite obvious, right?
Then why do we still keep pushing and grinding if we all know there’s a better way? I think it’s mostly FOMO. We are afraid we’ll miss something, so we hustle more, sleep less, ingest more coffee and carbs, and essentially destroy ourselves (that took a dark turn…)
So what can we do? I started pondering on that and the only idea I came up with was just thinking about it more. What I mean is that if it’s something I know, but still don’t follow, I have to force myself to think about it a lot, so at some point it turns from knowledge to something more like an instinct.
One way I like to think about it to imagine my brain is a car. I wouldn’t drive it non-stop without filling up on gas or getting an oil change, right? If I tried, I’d end up stranded on the side of the road. Rest is like that pit stop for our brains. It’s not a waste of time – it’s what makes the journey possible.
But let’s be real, resting isn’t always easy. Sometimes, when I lie down to take a break, this little voice pops up in my head saying, You’re being lazy. Or, You’ll fall behind if you don’t keep going.” Or, most of the time, some much more obscene version of those two. It’s hard to shut that voice up. What we need is a perspective shift. I’ve been forcing myself to internalize that rest isn’t laziness. It’s strategy. It’s what allows me to show up fully for the things that matter.
There was a time not long ago when I kept ignoring my need for rest. I’d pull early morning and late nights daily, eat unhealthy, and try to squeeze productivity out of every second. Sure, I got some things done, but you can probably guess what happened. I burned out. I ended up exhausted, with health issues, and way less productive in the long run. That’s when it started to click – rest isn’t the opposite of work. It’s a vital part of it.
And it’s not just about big breaks like vacations or days off (though those are important too). It’s about the little moments. Closing my eyes for a few minutes when I feel overwhelmed. Stepping away from my desk to stretch or grab a coffee. Letting myself sit quietly instead of scrolling on my phone. These small pauses can make a huge difference.
I’ve started experimenting with resting on purpose. For example, I’ll set a timer for 20 minutes and do something truly restful – like lying down, listening to calming music, or just breathing deeply. At first, it felt weird. A few times I even couldn’t last the entire 20 minutes. The weird part is that if you think about it, the thoughts you have during this time are in the line of Am I really allowed to do this when there’s so much to do?
But you know what? Those 20 minutes often give back hours of energy and focus.
And let’s talk about the other blatantly obvious one – sleep. For years, I tried to skimp on sleep and make up for it with coffee. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work. We all know that sleep is the ultimate rest, and yet we all ignore the need for it. But it’s super important. That’s when our brains sort through all the stuff we’ve learned, our bodies are literally repairing themselves, and recharging for the next day. If you can prioritize sleep, everything else in life gets better.
Then why do we neglect it so much? Honestly, I don’t have a clear answer. But I strongly believe that we are all affected by the ever so prevalent hustle culture.
There’s a quote I love that says You can’t pour from an empty cup. I remind myself of this when I feel guilty about resting. If we want to show up for the people and things we care about, we need to fill our cups first. Sleeping and resting is how we do that.
So, if you’re feeling tired or overwhelmed, I hope you remember to give yourself permission to rest. Not just because it feels good (though it certainly does once you get over the nagging feeling of guilt), but because it’s the best thing you can do for yourself and your work. To say it catchy – rest isn’t time wasted, it’s time invested.
I’d love to hear how you rest and recharge. Do you struggle with it too? Or do you have some go-to ways to unplug that work for you? Hit reply and let me know – I could use some new ideas!
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See you next week!
Best,
Dobri🍃