Why I StARTED Taking Breaks (And HOW I GOT Better Results)
The Ancient Greeks had two words for time: chronos (clock time) and kairos (the right moment). They understood something we've forgotten - that rest isn't the absence of productivity, it's waiting for the right moment to act.
For most of human history, rest was woven into the fabric of life. Medieval farmers worked intensely during harvest but rested deeply through winter. Craftspeople followed natural light rhythms, working when they could see clearly and stopping when darkness fell. Even early industrialists recognised the need for Sabbaths and seasonal slowdowns.
But somewhere in the past few decades, we've convinced ourselves that constant motion equals progress, that busyness is a badge of honour. We've created a culture where "I'm so busy" has become our default greeting, where taking a lunch break feels like slacking, where rest must be earned through exhaustion.
We live in a world that has convinced us rest is indulgent and taking breaks means we're not serious about our goals. Get up earlier. Do more. Try harder. Optimise everything! But what if the opposite is true? What if rest isn't the enemy of high performance and optimising our output, but rather the secret ingredient we've been overlooking?
The Science Behind Why Rest Actually Works
Dr. Marcus Raichle's groundbreaking neuroscience research revealed something that completely changed how I think about downtime. When we're "doing nothing," our brains aren't actually idle. They're in what's called the Default Mode Network: a state where our minds make connections, solve problems, and literally clean out cellular waste through something called the glymphatic system.
Think of it like this: your brain has a brilliant inbuilt cleaner who can only do their best work and really tidy up when the office is quiet and the phones stop ringing.
Dr. Nathaniel Kleitman discovered that our bodies naturally operate in 90 to 120 minute cycles throughout the day, alternating between high focus and restoration needs. We're literally designed to pulse between intense engagement and recovery. Fighting this rhythm is like trying to sprint a marathon. You might feel heroic at first, but you won't finish strong.
Furthermore, research shows that people who take regular breaks don't just feel better, they actually perform better. They make fewer mistakes, generate more creative solutions, and maintain their energy throughout the day instead of crashing at 3 PM. YES PLEASE!
The REST Resistance is Real (And It Makes Sense)
My inner achiever protested when I first heard about this research. "If I rest whilst they're hustling hard, won't I be branded as lazy or get left behind?" …
This fear is completely understandable. We've been conditioned to believe that constant motion equals progress, that busyness is a badge of honour. I used to feel guilty about taking long enough lunch breaks, like I was somehow cheating or being lazy whilst my colleagues powered through with desk salads and back-to-back meetings.
The truth is more nuanced than that. We're not competing against people who never rest. We're competing against people who rest strategically and work sustainably. The ones who last in demanding careers aren't the ones who burn brightest. They're the ones who burn consistently. Let that sink in …
What Strategic Rest Actually Looks Like
After recognising how deeply I'd absorbed the "busy equals worthy" mentality, I decided to experiment with intentional rest. Not because I wanted to work less, but because I wanted my work to actually matter.
The Power Pause: Instead of pushing through when my focus starts to fade, I take 10 minutes to do absolutely nothing productive. No scrolling, no organising, no "quick tasks." I sit quietly, breathe, or walk around the block. Every time, I return with clearer thinking and renewed energy.
Meeting-Free Mornings: I blocked the first two hours of Monday and Friday for my most important work. No calls, no interruptions, no exceptions. This isn't selfishness. It's understanding that my brain does its best creative work when it's fresh and uninterrupted.
The Afternoon Reset: I stopped fighting the afternoon slump with caffeine and started honouring it with a 20-minute mindful walk outdoors or a brief meditation. Counterintuitive? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.
Weekend Boundaries: I stopped checking work emails on Saturday mornings and started protecting Sunday afternoons for whatever my soul needed. Sometimes productivity, sometimes restorative yoga. The key was giving myself permission to check in, then choose.
Energy-Based Scheduling: I mapped my natural energy patterns and started scheduling important tasks during my peak hours, routine tasks during my maintenance hours, and genuine rest during my low-energy times.
The Shift That Changed Everything
The breakthrough came when I realised rest isn't the opposite of ambition. It's ambition's most intelligent strategy.
High performers in every field understand this. Elite athletes build recovery into their training schedules because they know muscles grow during rest, not during the workout. Musicians practise in focused bursts with breaks because that's how muscle memory develops. Even emergency doctors work in shifts because decision-making degrades with fatigue.
Why did I think the knowledge work I was doing was any different?
What Really Happens When We Rest Strategically
Once I let myself rest, my work improved dramatically. Not just the quality but the speed. Tasks that used to take me two hours of scattered attention now took 45 minutes of focused effort. Creative problems I would have struggled with for days resolved themselves so much quicker. I felt sharper and more energised.
More importantly, I stopped feeling like I was running uphill against my own energy. Work became more sustainable, more enjoyable, more aligned with who I actually am instead of who I thought I should be.
The Revolutionary Act of Strategic Rest
Here's what I wish someone had told me years ago: choosing to rest strategically isn't giving up on your dreams. It's the most practical way to achieve them.
Your energy is finite and precious. It deserves better than being scattered across every opportunity, depleted by every demand, exhausted by every expectation you place on yourself.
Rest isn't what you do when you've earned it. It's what makes everything else possible.
What if this week, instead of pushing through your natural energy dips, you honoured them? What if instead of wearing exhaustion like a badge of honour, you treated rest as a professional skill?
The person you're becoming (the one who creates meaningful work, maintains loving relationships, and builds something that lasts) isn't waiting for you to earn rest through suffering. They’re waiting for you to be wise enough to rest before you need to.
What would strategic rest look like in your life this week? Let me know with a comment below.