The Importance of Rest

Creativity isn’t a gift that some have and others do not, it’s a skill that anyone can hone. But just as there’s a limit to how much practice is worthwhile when playing an instrument or studying for a test, there’s a point after which trying to force yourself to be creative isn’t going to yield worthwhile work. We all need rest.

Intuitively, I think we all know this; who hasn’t been working on a project for hours, cruising along, only to suddenly hit a wall and realize that your brain feels like Mama Bear’s too-cold porridge? However, in practice, I’m really bad at adjusting my work habits to take this into account. I often write until I feel like I can’t write anymore and then tell myself I am done, and need to rest. But then I fail to actually go and rest.

Instead, I tend to do things that I enjoy, but ultimately leave me more drained. For me personally, that’s watching YouTube or Netflix, playing a video game, or mindlessly scrolling Twitter. Because these activities require very little energy from me, it feels like they should be providing an opportunity for my mental stores to recharge. But they don’t.    

I think that one of the most pernicious misconceptions is the idea that rest and relaxation are best achieved while partaking in unproductive or inactive pursuits. In my experience, this is certainly not the case. What actually leaves me feeling more alert, rested, and ready to get back to work are productive or active endeavors that require a different kind of energy from what I’ve been using.

So, for example, when my creative juices run dry, it helps me to stop writing and do something that is still productive, but doesn’t require creativity, like organizing my office, washing dishes, taking a walk, or prepping food (assuming I’m following a recipe, not trying to develop one).

But even armed with that knowledge, I still struggle with the lie that I can’t take time for real rest if I haven’t finished whatever project I’m working on. Thus, I settle for cheap “rest,” which drains me more and leaves me even less motivated and able to get back on track when I need to. Then, suddenly, I’ve clicked through half a dozen related videos, wasted 45 minutes, and the frustration and fear leads to feeling even less rested. 

Here’s a little peek behind the curtain:

Even now, as I struggle to decide what to say next, where to take this post from here, I feel a nagging sense that I can’t stop, and can’t miss a week. I just spent about 5 minutes staring blankly at the screen hoping that I’d come up with a great next paragraph to tie all these thoughts together and leave you with a helpful conclusion. If I were done with the writing and editing, with external links, a picture lined up, and the post scheduled to go live in the morning, I could stand up and go to bed. But It’s not. So I feel that I can’t.

This nagging feeling that I can never be productive enough, that I have to earn real rest or get none at all, may be something that only I face, but I doubt it. I think it’s closely linked to procrastination. 

Psychologists have determined that procrastination has more to do with an inability to regulate negative emotions than an inability to manage time well. And as I struggle to write this post, I begin to wrestle with my fear that I just don’t have anything worthwhile to say, which means it grows harder for me to stay on task and write the post. 

I don’t know exactly why I shared all that except that it’s almost 10:00pm, I lost an hour of sleep last night because of daylight savings time, and I just want to go read till I fall asleep. 

Tonight, I’m giving myself permission to rest. 

Once this post is scheduled.