The Accidental Rester

Sometimes I find myself doing nothing of worth. Scrolling through Wikipedia or catching up on geeky videos on youtube. I am fully aware of…

Sometimes I find myself doing nothing of worth. Scrolling through Wikipedia or catching up on geeky videos on youtube. I am fully aware of what is going on, but I somehow seem helpless to do anything about it. I just keep on scrolling.

At these times, I can’t help but wonder if these times of ill-disciplined working are actually products of ill-disciplined resting. We push and push ourselves to work harder, do more, and generally commit more to our work; but what about if there is a limit to our capacity to simply work harder? What if we are limited by our need to rest?

In short, what if resting is just as much part of what it means to be productive as working is?

What if we focus as much on disciplined resting as we do on disciplined working? Plan in time to rest. Coordinate our lives around what times are best to rest and consider how we might get the most out of our ‘downtime’. Maybe the outcome of becoming a ‘deliberate rester’ might be more energy or focus when working? Even if it doesn’t lead to an increase in productivity, it might certainly reduce the guilt we feel at those times when we find ourselves resting when we really should be working.

Originally published at www.cominginthroughtheclouds.olliefrancis.co.uk.