Hey - It’s Michael.
As you read this, I’ll be meditating at a Vipassana retreat. Enjoy the newsletter!
The Situation
People tell you they work 10, 12 hours per day. They’re proud of heavy work weeks, little sleep and constant doing. Social media is full of all-day every-day grinders. At networking events every second conversation is about how busy everyone is.
They are all performing far below their capabilities. Most knowledge workers fail to see what any pro athlete knows:
Recovery is needed to grow and perform.
There is not a single athlete that competes every day, all day. They train - and then recover.
They know: toughness, strength & skills are built in waves.
To perform, you need to rest.
The System
All the great athletes of our time follow a rigorous training schedule. The exact schedule of course depends on the sport.
Let’s take football players as an example:
On a high level, they have weeks of build up training leading up to months where they compete once a week for a few months. 2 times per year they have longer recovery phases.
On a low level they alternate hours of training with hours of recovery like massages, ice baths or sauna.
On a micro level they jog across the pitch, then sprint for a few seconds only to rest by jogging again.
In knowledge work it’s no different. According to your work - you need find the right recovery schedule.
Principle:
Alternate knowledge work with recovery.
Always remember: when you train you overreach your limits - the strength itself is built during the recovery phase.
In Practice
Schedule (or force if you have to) recovery phases into your weeks and days.
See what happens to your mental & emotional capacity when you consciously decide to rest and recover.
A few ideas:
a short nap after lunch
a walk around the block every hour
full shut-down from work in the evening
3 days break during the weekend, maybe even 4
a 2h lunch
Stop Rule
Stop looking recovery as something that holds you back.
A Quote To Ponder On:
“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” - Ovid
A Question To Reflect On:
What if I only did things that excite me?
See you next week - Michael