It has been shown that interspersing short rest breaks into intensive, focussed work will actually facilitate productivity. For example, our recall of information we have been working on is higher at the end of a 10-minute break than it is at the end of an hour of work. This is referred as the reminiscence effect (M. Gelb-How To Think Like Leonardo di Vinci).

" A  M I N D  T O O  A C T I V E
I S  N O  M I N D
A T  A L L "
Theodore Roethke

" T O  D O  G R E A T  W O R K
A  M A N  M U S T  B E
I D L E  A S  W E L L  A S
V E R Y  I N D U S T R I O U S "
Samuel Butler





" O F T E N  N O T H I N G
G O O D  I S
A C C O M P L I S H E D  A T
T H E  F I R S T  A T T A C K .
O N E  T A K E S  A  R E S T ;
A N D  T H E N  A L L  O F  A
S U D D E N  T H E
D E C I S I V E  I D E A
P R E S E N T S  I T S E L F
T O  T H E  M I N D "
Henri Poincare

Work and rest are partners in a relationship. As in any relationship, if one partner is dominant, there is an imbalance. We all are probably familiar with the "law of diminishing returns". Basically, the law states that working too long leads to a state of fatigue that significantly decreases productivity. The law is in effect when there is an inverse relationship between effort expended and results obtained.

Rest allows us to temporarily move away from the intense focus on our work. We direct our conscious mind to savouring some pleasant time-out activity while we make space for our unconscious mind to process what we have done thus far. This is referred to as incubation or "simmering" (F. Flach-Resilience). It produces unexpected insights and realizations that advance our work.

A word of caution is important here. Resting too long can lead to inertia or loss of the momentum of a balanced work-rest cycle. Resting becomes procrastination or the avoidance of the challenges we are addressing in our work and a shutdown of unconscious processing or simmering. It may also diminish the enjoyment of any rest activity because of the guilt associated with the message "I should be working". Rest is characterized by the conscious intention of returning to work and the exercise of our will to do so.

What might be the optimal work-rest relationship? A clue comes from the concept of "successive completions" (E. Maisel-Fearless Creating). Any task has many stopping points on the way to being finished. They may be subjective. We just feel like we have done enough and are satisfied for now. Or they may be objective. We can identify a specific accomplishment that has advanced our work. Either way we feel "complete" in that moment and ready to relax.

For me, writing the first sentence of an essay is significant. When the "right" sentence hits the page, I know it and I also know that rest of the essay will flow from that sentence. I almost always stop there and let the remainder of the essay simmer in the background of my mind while I putter with other activities. I know that I am simmering because random thoughts about the essay will surface while my attention is focussed elsewhere.

It may seem like an act of faith to believe that your work performance can be improved by resting. That does appear to be the case. So if you usually associate working with being responsible and resting with being irresponsible, you are now challenged to adjust your beliefs. You can give yourself permission to rest and feel good about continuing to be a responsible person.