Rest Is Part of the Work
Ten ways I use rest to recover, think better and return with perspective
After running Everything Now for nearly two years without properly stopping, I have learned that rest cannot be treated as something that happens only when the work is finished.
When you own a business, long holidays are difficult to protect. There is always another decision, another client and another problem that feels urgent. So I no longer wait for a summer break to recover. I practise rest whenever I can, and I try to make the most of the longer pauses when they do appear.
What changed most was understanding rest from a scientific perspective. The brain needs periods of reduced input to process information, consolidate memory and connect ideas. Sleep, movement, natural light, novelty and quiet are not indulgences. They are part of how the mind and body recover.
I do not pretend to be an expert. These are simply practices that work for me, supported where possible by what research tells us about recovery, attention and cognitive performance.
Something also changes when you approach rest consciously and with evidence. The brain gradually stops interpreting it as laziness, wasted time or a failure to produce. It begins to recognise it as a form of maintenance and improvement.
We do not question stopping a car to fill the tank. We understand that without fuel, it will eventually stop moving.
Why, then, do we question ourselves when we do the same?
Rest is not time away from the work. Rest is part of the work.
1. I stop working
Not less work. Not checking email twice a day.
I stop.
My brain needs distance to connect the dots, reflect and create. Research into wakeful rest suggests that short periods without stimulation can support memory consolidation and learning.
This matters particularly when your work depends on judgment, strategy and creativity. Constant input leaves little room for interpretation.
Rest is not lost time. It is an investment in the quality of my return.
2. I make comfort non-negotiable
When I rest, I wear old, oversized clothes.
Nothing tight, structured or uncomfortable. Nothing that makes me feel I need to present, perform or be ready for something.
It is a small ritual, but it sends a clear signal to the body: there is nowhere to be and nothing to prove.
Recovery begins when the body no longer feels it has to be on.
3. I speak to myself gently
Rest is difficult when the body stops but the internal criticism continues.
I pay attention to how I speak to myself. I remind myself that I am allowed to slow down, that I do not need to earn the break and that nothing bad will happen because I stop.
The language we use internally affects stress, attention and emotional regulation.
Rest also means taking a break from your own hostility.
4. I create novelty
I change environments, routines and inputs.
I read somewhere unfamiliar, walk a different route, visit a market, spend time in a new neighbourhood or travel without trying to document everything.
Novelty interrupts automatic thinking and gives the brain new information to organise. But stimulation alone is not enough. I also leave quiet around the experience so my mind can process it.
New input needs empty space.
5. I listen to music I cannot predict
I deliberately listen to unfamiliar music.
Jazz is particularly useful because its improvisation, changes in rhythm and unresolved patterns make it harder for the brain to predict what comes next.
That forces a different kind of attention. The mind cannot rely entirely on memory, so it has to stay open.
I do not listen because it has to become useful. I listen because unpredictability creates new connections.
Creativity grows when the mind encounters something it cannot immediately categorise.
6. I move without punishing myself
I have learned that I do not need to kill myself in the gym.
I need to move.
Walking, swimming, stretching, cycling or a lighter workout can support circulation, energy, sleep and recovery without adding more stress.
Exercise does not always need to be intense to be valuable. It can also be restorative.
Movement can be beneficial without being brutal.
7. I protect sleep
I make the room dark, cool and quiet. Whenever possible, I allow myself to wake naturally.
Sleep depends partly on darkness and the body’s ability to lower its core temperature. Bright light, heavy meals and intense exercise too close to bedtime can make that harder.
When I wake up, I go directly to natural light, ideally sunlight, before opening my phone.
Morning light helps signal alertness and supports the body’s circadian rhythm.
I start the day with the environment, not the algorithm.
8. I put the phone away
The input I need rarely comes from another hour of scrolling.
It comes from streets, music, conversations, architecture, food, clothing, humour and the way people behave when they are not performing online.
I sit without input. I watch. I listen. I allow myself to become bored.
The phone provides information. It does not always provide insight.
9. I give strangers my attention
I talk to the person serving my coffee, the shop attendant, the taxi driver or whoever happens to cross my path.
I ask questions and listen properly.
These conversations are often more interesting than expected. You learn how people live, what they notice, what worries them and what makes them laugh.
Giving someone your full attention can also change the tone of their day.
Attention is one of the most generous things we can give.
10. I enjoy food without using excess as proof
Food is one of the best parts of a break.
I eat well, try new things, stay at the table and enjoy the experience. But I try not to confuse pleasure with feeling completely full.
Overeating can disrupt sleep, reduce energy and make the return harder than it needs to be.
Feeling full is not necessary to enjoy a good meal.
Pleasure and moderation are not opposites.
The point of stopping
The purpose of a break is not to optimise every minute so you can become more productive later.
The break has value on its own.
But when I stop working, sleep properly, move gently, listen differently and pay attention to the world around me, I return with something more useful than a completed to-do list.
I return with perspective.
I see what matters more clearly. I notice what no longer deserves my energy. Problems appear smaller. Ideas that felt blocked begin to move. Decisions become simpler.
This is not because I secretly worked harder during the break. It is because I stopped.
Rest creates the distance required for better thinking.
Wear the old clothes. Speak to yourself gently. Move without punishment. Listen to something unfamiliar. Talk to strangers. Put the phone away.
The work will still be there when you return.
Yamil Errasti / Founder
And yes, this was probably written faster than it should have been with the help of ChatGPT.
Sources
Buch, E. R., Claudino, L., Quentin, R., Bönstrup, M., & Cohen, L. G. (2021). Consolidation of human skill linked to waking hippocampal-neocortical replay. Cell Reports, 35(10), 109233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109233
Haghayegh, S., Khoshnevis, S., Smolensky, M. H., Diller, K. R., & Castriotta, R. J. (2019). Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 46, 124–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2019.04.008
Vaile, J., Halson, S., Gill, N., & Dawson, B. (2008). Effect of hydrotherapy on the signs and symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 102(4), 447–455. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0605-6
Okamoto-Mizuno, K., & Mizuno, K. (2012). Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm. Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 31(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/1880-6805-31-14
Balban, M. Y., Neri, E., Kaelberer, M. M., Huberman, A. D., & Spiegel, D. (2023). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine, 4(1), 100895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895
