It’s a great feeling, to have an aim, a goal in life. Now you are clear what you want. There is a surge of anticipation and a tinge of worry. The uncertainty of the task adds its own charm to it. You are excited and scared at the same time. You are well aware that the road ahead will not be easy. Still, you have decided that you will give it your best shot. Damned if you try and damned if you do not. Since you know that you will go for it, you decide to give every ounce of energy that you have to accomplish the task. You want to spend every waking moment thinking about it, sleep is an enemy now. You do not have time for family, friends or even resting. You decide that only thing that matters is the single-minded pursuit of the goal.
Something like that must be the way the mind of a champion performer. That is how most of us think. Working hard continuously and, relentlessly even when the world sleeps. Using all his talent and will power to take on any daunting task, no matter what odds are against him. Let me tell you something; if that is how you think, then you are setting up, yourself for failing.
The real secret of doing great work in life is rest. Rest is the most underrated weapon for exceptional performance. Enough literature is available, to extol the virtues of grit, hard work, passion and resilience, however, if you do not stop to pause and recharge, then your efforts will start giving diminishing returns.
You will definitely have to work hard; very hard. Nothing in life that is worthwhile comes easy. Not planning adequate rest will drain out your batteries. You will invariably have a burnout. The funny thing is that as your system starts shutting down, you will not even be aware of your degraded performance. You will be the last person to know that you are facing burnout.
Burnout and symptoms:
So let’s have a look at the symptoms of burnout. Failing to identify these symptoms can wreak havoc in your health, relationships, and performance. The first symptom is feeling exhausted all the time. You will find that you will have no energy to carry out routine tasks, they will seem extremely draining. There is a lack of motivation and a prevailing sense of hopelessness. This with frustration, negative emotions and cynicism are all indicators that your internal batteries are in the red zone. There is a cognitive degradation where your ability to concentrate will be hampered. The reason for feeling this way is exposure to multiple chronic stressors extended over time, something that our brains and body are not equipped to handle. Optimal levels of stress in short bursts are desired to bring out the best in us, but continuous levels for a long time have all the above adverse effects.
You can physically move away from the place of work and try to take rest or sleep; however, it is your mind that will scream a million different things. The creative mind does not know how to rest. It is always on hyperdrive. To ensure that you give your mind rest, you need to have a plan.
You will need to change your attitude and mindset towards rest. It is not a luxury that you earn after tremendous hard work, something that you must savour and enjoy. It is a powerful weapon in your arsenal that you will have to employ in a planned manner to improve performance to get exceptional results. The mindset that rest is for losers, is not only is foolish but highly amateur. Let us not wear our workaholism as a badge of honour; it is causing more harm than good. Sure you can burn your candle at both ends and probably can and will achieve a lot, but this will come at a cost.
Speaking of rest, one can’t help but remember the fictional character of Jason Bourne. The spy who in the novel The Bourne supremacy is told by his handlers, that “Rest is a weapon” He takes this line to his heart and repeats it many times in the story. Though just a story, the wisdom in these words is for all of to understand and emulate. Planning and taking adequate rest is a crucial skillet and may take years to master.
How you plan your rest will determine the quality of your work. It begins in your head. Get your why regarding rest correct, and you will find the how. Specific amounts of time blocks have to be allocated in advance so that you may recover and recharge. This initially may be difficult, but if you want exceptional results, then there is no other way.
Exercise and mindfulness:
It is almost a no brainer that you need to have some kind of physical activity planned. Brain coach Jim kwik, in his book “Limitless”, says that “when your body moves your mind groves”. If you are not into running long distances or hitting the gym, then cater for a 30 minutes light routine at least. Meditation and mindfulness is another tool that can be used, it helps in focusing your awareness from your mind to your body and its surroundings. Notice your hands on the table, your feet on the ground, your immediate surroundings. These techniques have many benefits, in terms of resting, they assume greater significance.
Diet and sleep:
Eating healthy may sound easy but is more complicated in practice. You will start to look for solace in food when under pressure. Emotional eating and eating junk will cause more harm than good. If you need to feel good from inside then planned, and mindful fuelling of your body is a must. The value of sleep cannot be overemphasised. Remember “ who wins the night wins the fight.”Find your sleep routine and stick to it. Quality sleep is one of the best remedies for stress. Your quality of sleep at night will determine your next day. One thing that has helped me in this area is that at a particular time, I switch off all my devices, and avoid caffeine post 2 pm. Do not enter the bed with an electronic device if you want good quality sleep.
Alcohol and nicotine:
Lastly, we talk about the aspect of cigarettes and alcohol. This is something to be wary of. Hopefully, you are a teetotaller and have this area covered. However, if you find solace in the bottle, then let me say that when things go south and stress hits you. The bottle of whiskey and the cancer stick starts to look real friendly. We all know how badly this affects health, but in terms of taking good rest, it is equally detrimental.
Real performance comes in working cyclically; oscillating between work and rest. When working or training, give your 100 per cent. If studying then study with full attention. Same with any endeavour that you are pursuing. Then back away so that your body and mind can recover, recharge and get back towards your goals.
Malcolm Gladwell in his bestseller the “Outliers” gives us the 10,000 hours rule. This is the time required to be spent in deliberate practice, to become exceptional in any discipline. This means that you need to work for 250 months, spending 40 hours every week towards deliberate practice. Without going in the accuracy of the statement, it cannot be disputed that doing anything exceptionally well requires a large investment in terms of time. It is just not possible to go full throttle for such an extended duration. Rest, recovery and recharge have to be factored in your long term plans for any goals that you may have. Use it as a weapon; you will be able to give your best in all your endeavours.
