Even as children trudge back to school, work from home continues to thrive. As many articles have reported, one of the biggest drawbacks of remote work is the blurring of professional and personal boundaries, with work eating into people’s downtime. For online work to be sustainable and productive, it is imperative that both employers and employees appreciate the elemental role of rest in our lives.
In an article on the website Psyche, writer, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, argues that rest, contrary to lay perception, doesn’t imply a cessation of activity. Done correctly, rest rejuvenates and contributes to productivity. By learning how to rest, we can lead more fulfilling lives.
First, we need to stop equating rest with idleness or indolence. Periods of rest have been found to spur creativity and problem-solving. Further, argues Pang, learning to rest is a skill that improves with practice. By following the strategies listed below, you too can rest well, so that you feel refreshed and recharged.
Pang likens rest to breathing. We all do it, unthinkingly, as a matter of course. But mindfulness practitioners and swimmers learn to breathe in special ways to quieten their minds or sustain their momentum. So, you too can learn to gain maximally from rest by doing it correctly. For that, you first need to give rest its due importance in your life.
Start with your schedule. You may have time carved out for meetings and project deadlines. Likewise, with Covid norms are relaxing, you find your social calendar filling up. The little time you have left is swallowed up by domestic chores and duties.
So, what happens to your time for rest?
Unless you specifically chalk out downtime, possibly by reprioritising or rearranging other aspects of your life, rest will not happen on its own. You have to make a concerted effort and dedicate specific times for it.
Earmark distraction free periods. If you have the choice of how you can work, set aside a time of 90 to 120 minutes for focused and demanding work. Pang rightly points out that most people have trouble concentrating for longer stretches of time.
Suppose you have sufficient leeway in designing your work schedule, take a 20 to 30-minute break after doing deep, focused work. If you cannot take time off during working hours, then switch to lighter tasks that require less focused attention and effort. Softer work activities might include responding to email, attending meetings or completing some routine tasks.
Don’t compromise on sleep or naps to accommodate both work and rest into your life. In one study, psychologist Anders Ericsson, who studies expertise, found that elite and excellent violinists took more naps than the merely ‘good’ violinists.
While the top performers “practiced harder,” they required more naps to recoup. Twenty-minute naps can be as energising as drinking a cup of coffee, without the withdrawal symptoms.
Delineate clear boundaries. Pang recommends this, especially as remote work tends to shadow us 24/7. If you are checking emails while accompanying your child to the park, then you are neither working nor relaxing with a wholehearted focus. Make sure your resting time is not punctuated by work-related demands.
You may need to try out some iterations before zeroing in on what activities you find restful.
Ideally, your time spent in rest should not enervate but rejuvenate you. Mindlessly zoning out in front a screen leaves most people drained. You are more likely to emerge zestful from engaging in a task that wholly absorbs your attention and utilises your strengths.
For many people, hobbies meet these criteria. Be it quilting, quilling or quizzing, pick an activity that challenges you optimally and taps your talents, however latent they maybe.
Contrary to popular conceptions, taking rest isn’t limited to lounging on the beach or dozing off on the couch.
If you are outdoorsy and athletic, you may try sailing, surfing or snorkeling; if you prefer being a couch-potato, try solving crosswords or Sudoku puzzles. In fact, when you pick an optimal task, you are like to experience the same “psychological rewards as your best work,” avers Pang.
Finally, while rest may be a solitary activity, you may promote a culture of rest in your family and workspace.
Build routines in your home life so everyone gets to rest, avoid pinging colleagues after work hours and engage in some group activities as a form of leisure to lead a calmer and more vitalised life.
(The writer is an author and blogger)