Meaningful Rests #

Taking a break from the current work you are doing and distracting yourself with other activities doesn’t equate with rests. Yes you are not thinking about work per se but you aren’t recharging either. 

I once had a professor who said that when you are tired of working on a subject or topic, take a walk and change the subject but don’t stop working. Pairing this idea with the different types of tasks becomes a powerful tool that enables you to work on a few projects at a time because each project can be at a different stage and require different types of energy which can be managed accordingly. For example switching between working on a project that is in active development phase and working on a project that is in maintenance; or when I’m tired of writing software and can’t even see the editor no more I choose to watch some software conferences talks.

This concept also applies to sports, if you have had a harder practice or feel like taking a day off of practicing demanding physical activity do not spend the day being a couch potato but do take the opportunity to take a longer walk, ride a bike, do a long stretching session, anything that keeps you moving.

To make it a meaningful rest you have to make it an active rest. To be clear, entertainment is a must in order to disconnect from the day-to-day but using it as a recharging mechanism is wishful thinking.