When I was younger, I felt guilty if I wasted time away from my desk and tasks at work. It felt like I took the foot off the gas pedal.
Now that I'm older, and (somewhat) wiser, I have a different view. Now I believe we should work more in line with the lifestyle that is natural for our species.
There's a price to pay if we don't. It stresses us. We push ourselves to the edge of exhaustion. And I'm not as productive as I thought I was.
Humans have spent 99-ish % of our evolutionary history in the hunter-gatherer environment. Hunters and gatherers are good at resting after the effort of securing food.
Watch a nature video of any animal escaping from a predator. The prey sprints away at top speed. If it gets away, it just stops. It's body shakes to let go of stress hormones, and then it resets itself back to baseline.
My resistance training has taught me that the recovery days are just as important as the training days, as that is when the body and muscles adapts and becomes stronger. Failing to schedule in enough recovery leads to overtraining, and eventually illness or injury.
There's a pattern here. Sprint, rest, repeat.
I now believe what matters for my performance (and well-being) is not the number of hours in front of my computer; it's how focused my work is, and how quickly I get back to my baseline.
On an ideal day, I work as a lion. Sprint, rest, repeat.
Work focused and intensely for short hours, rest, and repeat, rather than low-intensity office hours somewhat stressed or somewhat relaxed all day long. It's the idea of a combination of extremes kept separate, with avoidance of the middle.
Easier said than done. Our attention is being fought for by every new meeting, e-mail, request, and initiative. Our focus muscle must be built and improved little by little.
I get back to my normal by resting and taking better breaks. Even micro-breaks of five to ten minutes are enough to reduce fatigue and raise energy.
Take outdoor walks. Sit next to a tree, garden or the sea. Get up and refill your water. Take three deep breaths. Lie down on the floor, and close your eyes. Be completely still. Imagine yourself back in time to a peaceful place you've been and be there for a while. Do some push-ups or air squats to burn your adrenaline.
When you rest properly, then you are not “doing nothing." You get a chance to reflect on and form your own beliefs, judgements and values.
Throughout the ages people have found that outdoor walking offers an additional benefit - time and space for better work.
Breaks are not a distraction. Your passion keeps the problem or task active in the back of your mind, and you are more likely to incubate fresh ideas and unexpected solutions.
It may sound controversial, but in the times we live in now, "doing nothing" has probably never been more important.
Now that I'm older, and (somewhat) wiser, I have a different view. Now I believe we should work more in line with the lifestyle that is natural for our species.
There's a price to pay if we don't. It stresses us. We push ourselves to the edge of exhaustion. And I'm not as productive as I thought I was.
Humans have spent 99-ish % of our evolutionary history in the hunter-gatherer environment. Hunters and gatherers are good at resting after the effort of securing food.
Watch a nature video of any animal escaping from a predator. The prey sprints away at top speed. If it gets away, it just stops. It's body shakes to let go of stress hormones, and then it resets itself back to baseline.
My resistance training has taught me that the recovery days are just as important as the training days, as that is when the body and muscles adapts and becomes stronger. Failing to schedule in enough recovery leads to overtraining, and eventually illness or injury.
There's a pattern here. Sprint, rest, repeat.
I now believe what matters for my performance (and well-being) is not the number of hours in front of my computer; it's how focused my work is, and how quickly I get back to my baseline.
On an ideal day, I work as a lion. Sprint, rest, repeat.
Work focused and intensely for short hours, rest, and repeat, rather than low-intensity office hours somewhat stressed or somewhat relaxed all day long. It's the idea of a combination of extremes kept separate, with avoidance of the middle.
Easier said than done. Our attention is being fought for by every new meeting, e-mail, request, and initiative. Our focus muscle must be built and improved little by little.
I get back to my normal by resting and taking better breaks. Even micro-breaks of five to ten minutes are enough to reduce fatigue and raise energy.
Take outdoor walks. Sit next to a tree, garden or the sea. Get up and refill your water. Take three deep breaths. Lie down on the floor, and close your eyes. Be completely still. Imagine yourself back in time to a peaceful place you've been and be there for a while. Do some push-ups or air squats to burn your adrenaline.
When you rest properly, then you are not “doing nothing." You get a chance to reflect on and form your own beliefs, judgements and values.
Throughout the ages people have found that outdoor walking offers an additional benefit - time and space for better work.
Breaks are not a distraction. Your passion keeps the problem or task active in the back of your mind, and you are more likely to incubate fresh ideas and unexpected solutions.
It may sound controversial, but in the times we live in now, "doing nothing" has probably never been more important.
In my opinion.
