Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less

Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang         Audio Book:  6 hours, 57 mins.     Paperback:  336 pages                

Excellent book.   Americans are known for overworking and not taking vacation days, breaks even lunch which many eat at their desks.    The book discusses how studies around the world have proven that humans perform better and actually accomplish more when they work lest and rest more.    Working oneself to a frazzle leaves you frazzled and hyper.   If you are pushing yourself harder and longer you are basically working off the fumes of stress on your body that and likely caffeine.   Maybe that is why Starbucks has done so well.    Science has proven that working, then leaving for a break then coming back is actually much more productive than forcing yourself to keep working.    Getting away clears your mind and unlocks your creative mind to find better and other ways to do things like the project you are working on for instance.   Like a cool breeze on a hot day, taking leaisure time actually re-charges us, taking a break from the mind numbing tedium of hour after hour being focused on one pursuit.  It is like pressing a de-stress button in your head.     And even just a few minutes away can give you the energy you need to return with an invigorated mind set to complete your task.    Allowing ourselves time to rest and recouperate takes the edcge off makes us feel better like that feeling of relief you get when you are out of something you have been worrying about for a long time.      Allowing ourselves the much needed down timewe crave but too often deny ourselves is giving ourselves the opportunity  to come up with better ideas, gives us more energy rather than agonizing and working ourselves to death (literally).    When we push ourselves beyond our limits our muscles get tight, strange ailments start popping up, blood pressure rises, headaches occur, too much acid floods our systems and for what?   There are times when yeah, we are in a deadline crunch but we don’t have to work everyday like we are.    Rest allows the mind to wander into the creativity zone.    Allowing our bodies to relax keeps us from stress injuries to our necks and backs.   If we feel better, ie. rested,  we are better able to think clearly and produce better quality achievements rather than just more – it really is a quality over quantity thing.   Great book.   Lots of good common sense information here that way too many of us neglect.   Good book.