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Working for the sake of being busy is a great way to achieve burnout as fast as possible. While being part of a startup requires a time commitment that far exceeds that of a full-time job, it’s dumb to assume that your body & mind can work every hour of the day without losing effectiveness.
We all crave the “flow state,” but how often do we end up staring at our screens and getting nothing done?
If you ever catch yourself zoning out, chances are that you need to abandon what you’re trying to do (work) and instead focus on the inverse (rest).
And if you feel unproductive often, chances are that you need to take an extended period of time off to recharge.
But rest isn’t created equally:
- Unproductive rest leaves you feeling lethargic and unmotivated.
- Productive rest allows you to recharge and become reinvigorated.
We obviously want to do more of the latter and less of the former. Popular convention will attempt to categorize certain activities as being “good rest” and others as being “bad rest,” but I’ve come to realize that there is no clear dividing line.
As with your diet, the dosage makes the poison:
- Drinking water is great for you, but not if you ingest multiple gallons in a few minutes
- “Dirty” food can actually be a great way to replenish glycogen stores if you’re cutting weight quickly
- Similarly, certain activities can be very healthy for productive rest, but only when done for a short period of time. For example, I’ve actually found that mindless scrolling on social media, when constrained to a few minutes, can actually be very useful if I’ve been working on a mentally challenging problem.
As such, I’m not here to categorize activities as “good” or “bad.” I’m simply here to share the things that I personally do to recharge based on the time that I have.
Short Form (5-30 min)
- Social media: I find that just a few minutes of social media gives my mind a quick break from brain-intensive work. Use this with caution and avoid longer periods of mindless scrolling. Sometimes all I need to re-motivate myself is a few quick dopamine bursts.
- Stretching / mobility exercises: A quick break to do some yoga (or even just a few cat-cow’s) is great for getting the blood flowing.
- Zero distraction meals: Cooking and eating a meal without checking Slack or social media is a nice way to quickly detach from technology.
- Chores: Doing a chore is a great way to trigger a small dopamine hit for completing the task. I do this when I’m stuck on a particular problem and feel unmotivated to push through.
Medium Form (a few hours)
- Exercise: Doing some form of exercise, such as going to the gym or going for a walk, allows you to reconnect with your physiological self. I get the most benefit if I avoid my phone while doing so.
- Reconnect with a friend: Plan an activity with a friend and spend some time socializing. It could be as simple as just having a chat over coffee.
- Work somewhere else: I find that changing my work environment resets my energy levels. I leveraged this a bunch in university by switching between the library and different cafes.
Long Form (Multiple Days)
I think the most obvious idea here is to go on a trip somewhere for a change of scenery. I unfortunately don’t have the ability to do this often, but my favorite getaways are to small towns surrounded by nature. I’ve also been tempted to do an extended yoga/silent retreat, but can’t comment on their effectiveness.
That being said, I’m definitely more of an outdoorsy person, so choose a destination that works for you.
The activities I mention above are my go-to ways to take productive breaks away from work. Everyone is different, so your mileage may vary. A great way to identify your own strategies is to be conscious of how different activities influence your motivation and energy levels.
I want to end with a note of caution. I think we’re often far too concerned about optimizing our lives. It often works best to let go of the need for perfection and embrace your desires of the moment.
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