In a world where hustle culture is celebrated, rest can often be viewed as a luxury or even a weakness.
However, according to Sarah Sarkis, a psychologist and exo-senior director of performance psychology at Exos, a performance coaching company, rest is the #1 habit that sets successful people apart from everyone else.
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The Myth of Exertion
We are often told that the path to success is paved with grit and exertion.
We are encouraged to outwork our competition and push past our limits.
While this may be true, Sarkis argues that it’s not exertion that sets high achievers apart from everyone else, but rather, it’s recovery.
The Importance of Recovery
Sarkis and her team of health experts work with NFL players, executives at Fortune 100 companies, and other professionals to help them thrive in high-pressure environments.
They have found that recovery is essential for sustained success and happiness.
Research has shown that working without downtime can decrease productivity, reduce creativity, and exacerbate stress.
Prioritizing rest allows individuals to recharge, refocus, and come back stronger.
Auditing Your Energy Spending
Sarkis encourages her clients to start by auditing their energy spending.
By evaluating how and where they are spending the most time and attention, individuals can identify activities that drain them and those that energize them.
Sarkis explains that every activity is either a credit or a debit to our mental and physical health. Sleeping, exercising, and engaging in therapeutic activities like meditation or yoga are credits, while working late or skipping meals are debits.
By tallying up the credits and debits in their daily routines for a week, individuals can identify patterns and areas for improvement.
By consistently putting credits back into their energetic system, individuals can prioritize rest and recovery as a non-negotiable part of their routine.
Making Rest a Non-Negotiable
Sarkis emphasizes that rest needs to be a non-negotiable, consistent part of an individual’s routine.
Consider scheduling therapeutic activities in your calendar, just as you would a doctor’s appointment or a meeting with your boss.
While it may feel difficult to prioritize rest in a culture that values hustle, those who commit to a regular recovery practice are the ones who reap the most benefits.
Incorporating rest into your routine can lead to sustained success, increased creativity, and improved overall well-being.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the idea that recovery is just as important as exertion when it comes to achieving success is a powerful one.
We often think that working harder and longer is the key to success, but research and experience show that incorporating rest and recovery into our routines can actually make us more productive, creative, and happy.
By auditing our energy spending and prioritizing activities that benefit our mental and physical health, we can start to see patterns and make improvements in our daily routines. And by committing to a regular recovery practice, we can reap the most benefits and make rest a non-negotiable part of our lives.
So, if you want to be successful and happy, remember that rest is just as important as work.
FAQ
How can I incorporate rest into my routine if I have a busy schedule?
Sarkis recommends starting with an energy audit to identify activities that drain you and those that energize you.
From there, consider scheduling therapeutic activities like meditation or yoga in your calendar as you would a doctor’s appointment or a meeting with your boss.
Is rest really necessary for sustained success?
Research has shown that working without downtime can decrease productivity, reduce creativity, and exacerbate stress.
Prioritizing rest allows individuals to recharge, refocus, and come back stronger. Incorporating rest into your routine can lead to sustained success, increased creativity, and improved overall well-being.
How can I hold myself accountable for prioritizing rest?
Consider scheduling therapeutic activities in your calendar, just as you would a doctor’s appointment or a meeting with your boss.
By consistently putting credits back into your energetic system, individuals can prioritize rest and recovery as a non-negotiable part of their routine.
