The Importance of REST

Last week, I had a realisation...and it had nothing to do with REST API...

My wife asked me "Do you realise that you've worked flat out at weekends for the past 9 weeks?" She was (of course) correct and quite unbelievably... I hadn't even noticed.

Now before you think I'm a 'workaholic' who, after working Mon-Fri, had abandoned the family to head to the office each Saturday and Sunday, that wasn't the case.

Each weekend all the essentials would get done.

Playing with my little girl ? Spend time with Mrs A doing family stuff ? Engagements with the wider family ? ...all getting done! So what was the problem? Anytime I wasn't doing one of these things, I was picking up the laptop and working.

You see, my problem was that with a new business to launch, as well as projects to complete, there simply wasn't enough hours in the week. I was making time for everything and everyone else in life, except for myself. Looking after my own well being felt somehow selfish.

You may read the above and think...."Yeah?! That sounds like a normal weekend for me, what's the problem?" and I can't say I blame you. I had gotten myself into the same mindset. However, shortly before this, I had seen this post by Damian Hughes on Instagram. It said...(See picture)

I learnt the week prior to the conversation with my wife the truth of this. Having worked flat out for over 2 months I came down with the flu brought on by exhaustion. It took 4 days in bed before I could even think about work again. By failing to make time to look after myself, I was forced to do so on my bodies schedule.

Where I Had Gone Wrong?...Lack of Rest

The problem starts when you actually enjoy whatever it is that you do for work. Most of us who work in the tech industries enjoy 'fiddling' with new concepts and technologies. Unfortunately, there are often not enough hours in the work day to do this. Not only this but if you run your own company (like me) then sadly no one will pay you to play around with the latest and greatest innovations out there. This makes 'keeping up' incredibly difficult and often what goes out of the window is true, proper, rest.

You may be thinking...“But hold on, I do loads of stuff I enjoy at weekends” and guess what...me too! The problem is that often what we enjoy doing is not restful in the way our minds and bodies truly need. We substitute sitting in front of a computer building business solutions with sitting in front of a laptop playing Football Management games (????♂?Guilty). We substitute spending time on video calls with work colleagues with spending time on Zoom socialising. Whether you love or hate what your doing has little bearing on whether it's restful.

In essence, whether it's working or doing some other activity we enjoy, we are swapping one thing that requires us to expend energy from our minds and bodies with another.

In Formula 1 Racing, the pit crews are majestic to watch, often refuelling a car, changing tires, even making minor repairs in seconds. Red Bull currently hold the record for the fastest time to change all four of a car's tyres,?an absurdly rapid 1.923 seconds. Every second counts and the quicker the car is able to get back into the race, the better.

So, with this in mind, are you pit-stopping your weekends? Slowing down only long enough to refuel before re-joining the race? If so, this is a path to disaster.

In 1994, at the German Grand Prix, Jos Verstappen stopped on Lap 15. The fuel hose didn't go on properly, and the highly flammable liquid sprayed all over the place. The heat from the engine cover ignited the fuel. The huge fireball that resulted caused minor burns to Verstappen and several team members. The result of pushing too hard and too fast, cutting corners almost ended in tragedy.

The same is true of our minds and bodies. If we push not only our bodies but our minds too hard, too fast, for too long, eventually something will break.

Staying with Formula 1, while in the pits it is entirely possible to make small repairs to the car. However, to make significant repairs, the car must come into the garage and be allowed to cool down before major repairs can happen. The same is true of our minds and bodies. We need to allow ourselves enough time to slow down and stop the constant barrage of situations that life throws at us, along with the mental process and physical requirements, to allow us our minds and bodies to truly repair themselves.

So what are we saying? Do we have to spend our entire weekends sleeping? Not at all! But just as each day of our lives we need to make sure we get sufficiently nutritious food, so each period of time we have away from work, we must make the time to allow our bodies and minds to rest.

Sounds Great...But Where Do We Start??

When my wife said what she did one thought came to mind...

"She's right and that sounds great, but I dont have time for it and even if I did I wouldn't know where to begin!"

Looking after myself was such a distant thought that it was both unrealistic and impossible. So I started by asking myself this question...

"What do I do that you find completely refreshing and restful?"

If you cannot answer that question, therein lies the problem. Only we can answer that for ourselves and it may be a combination of things. For example, we may find that while taxing physically, exercise (e.g. running, working out in the Gym) can clear the head and allow us to mentally 'unplug'. Or it could be that watching a movie while engaging mentally, allows us to rest physically. There's no rule, only the result of how you feel at the end of a period of rest can tell you whether you got it right or not.

There are some things that I have found helpful if you're struggling to get started...

Recognise The Need For Rest:

Commit to changing your mindset. Engaging in restful activity is not lazy, wasteful or selfish. Quite the opposite.

If you want to be the best possible version of yourself for those you love and care about, burning yourself out to the point where you can't even support yourself, let alone them, is not the way. Instead, look at making time for rest as an investment in you that will pay dividends for both you and those who rely on you.

Detach Your Phone From Your Body:

Set some rules around how you will use your phone during rest periods.

Try leaving it in another room or in a central place in the home while you are at home. This will stop you from turning to it for mental stimulation when you are trying to switch off.

It will also prevent you from being ultra-accessible to everyone in your life, which so many find is a major factor in preventing proper restful activity. It will also help you be more engaged in whatever you are doing.

Try Something Different:

It's amazing how many of us who work with tech every day also turn to technology to provide rest.

Instead, try to do the opposite of what you do in your work role and see what happens. If you work in tech, try having a few hours where you go for a walk, swim, sitting in the park, reading a (non-tech related!) book. Basically, do something that mixes up your routine. Whatever it may be, try to find an activity that allows either your mind or body to rest, or ideally both!

What did I do this weekend? For the first time in months, I didn't open my laptop. I spent time outdoors and even read a (paper) book! I left the list of things I had to do for another day and I chose to spend some time allowing my brain to repair. The result? When I opened the laptop again on Monday morning, I was more productive, more energised and accomplished more in the days that followed that period of rest than I had in a long time.

Turns out...my wife was right after all...