I always hear about “life changing books” and maybe I’m just a skeptic but, while I find many of these “life changing books” to be thought provoking and inspiring, I very rarely find it to be life changing. However, I think I might have just found such a book titled, Rest, of all things.
I came across the book, Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, and my interest was quickly piqued by the title and am I glad that I did! The book starts by discussing the great thinkers and change makers from the late 19th century and early 20th century and their work habits. The author discusses how these people approached work and the lines they drew between work and their personal life. The author challenges that rather than working all the time in order to win a badge of honor, as it were, these people separated work and their personal life in order that they feel truly rested when they returned to work, thereby increasing their longevity and effectiveness in their field.
The chapter I found most interesting was about the people who were most prolific and well-known in their respective fields, people like Charles Darwin and Charles Dickens, were not people who worked 60-80 hours a week, but rather ones who focused on dedicated work for 20-30 hours a week. (Read more about Charles Darwin and his devoutly Christian wife in my post “Charles and Emma” here). The most influential people of the 20th century rarely broke a 40 hour work week. They didn’t work long, but they did work hard. The author stresses the importance of workflow habits to produce really focused work and, therefore, effective and prolific work. Truly focused work can be draining and because of this many of these people worked in 90 minute bursts with a short break in between, followed by another 90 minute session. Usually after a large break in the day, one last work session in the afternoon would follow. This was very interesting to me! Think about all the side hustles out there today. There is no limit to what one can do in this day and age. But when to do it? If the greatest minds of the last century (and the author did give examples of non-geniuses who followed this work model), could do all that, what could we do with a small amount of truly focused work each day, day after day?
The other chapter that really stood out to me was about deep play. Deep play is something you do that you enjoy and that you lose yourself in entirely that you lose track of time. The benefit of deep play is that it gives your mind a chance to rest, to wander a bit as you tinker, to rest, and will perhaps offer the side benefit of helping you solve a problem on which you were previously stuck.
Other chapters in the book dwelt on the importance of sleep, what walking can do for our creative problem solving skills, and how exercise can help improve longevity in careers. While none of these topics are new, I did appreciate the nuanced approach offered in the book and found it to be very thought provoking.
While some of the advice and models set forth in the book will not work for everyone—hourly workers do not have the luxury of working a 30 hour week—there are nonetheless, little nuggets to be gleaned from this book that I think just about all of us could benefit from. If you are struggling to start a side hustle, know that you don’t have to pour endless hours into it in order to make it successful. You can effect a big difference by truly dedicating a few intense hours to it each day. If you know you need to exercise but are afraid of the time it will take away from your job, read this book and see the evidence of how it could help improve your performance and expand your career life. Lastly, if you are needing permission or a gentle nudge to pick up that hobby, go for it—there will be more benefits from it than you realize.
I’m sure there are people who will not be impressed with this book; but, if you are one of the many people who feel the constant need and pressure to operate at full capacity and never take time for the things that matter to you, I urge you to give this book a go, and see what you think!