rest – Jamie DeBree

I’ve been thinking (again). But I’ve also been not-thinking, which is something I haven’t allowed myself to do much of in…well, quite awhile. Somewhere I fell into the whole “productivity-is-life” mindset, and when I did that, I prioritized Getting Things Done over everything else in life, because it was more important to be moving forward than to let myself rest.

But last week, I had an epiphany. I had to refrain from physical activity for awhile due to a twisted ankle/foot (still not fully healed, but getting there), and while I was sitting on the couch one night, it occurred to me that I never actually just sit and watch TV anymore. I always have something going at the same time, whether it’s scrolling FB or playing a game or making something…I rarely just sit and consume.

The problem with that is, my brain really never gets a break. I’m always solving a puzzle or problem, or being creative in some way, which means I’m always making my mind work, but never letting it recharge. I wondered if that might be why I have trouble getting that last bit of revising done late in the evenings, so I decided to experiment. For the next few nights, I forced myself to put down my phone, not grab my switch, leave my laptop in the office, and just *watch TV* for the one hour a night that I normally get to sit.

I’m sure you can guess how that went. It was harder than I thought it would be, and it felt incredibly weird not “doing” anything while I was sitting there. But I paid better attention to the show we were watching, and I also found that when I sat down later to edit, I had more energy and brainpower to work with, so I worked faster and better than when I’m constantly trying to be productive all evening.

I also forced myself to stop working by 12:15am every night, so I could read a chapter or two of fiction before bed. Consuming, rather than expending, and then getting to bed in time for 5.5 to 6 hours of sleep.

I found I’m at least half again more productive when I give myself some time to just consume during the evenings rather than trying to fill every waking moment with a “productive” activity. Which gave me a new mantra that I am repeating to myself every time I get that panicky “I’m-not-getting-anything-done” feeling:

I am not a robot.

I’m not a machine that can just keep going and going and going with the occasional reboot or update. As much as I’d love to be, I’m only just a human, which means if I push and push and push to get things done all day, everyday, I will eventually burn out, and probably age faster than I need to while I’m at it.

I need sleep, and time to just veg out without trying to solve a mystery or puzzle or problem. I need time to consume for a little bit each day, or I’ll cease being able to efficiently write,

So that’s my takeaway from last week, and part of the reason this post is so late. I’m forcing myself to go to bed on time (okay! Earlier! Sheesh!), to not look at my phone while I’m watching TV, and to give myself a couple of quick breaks during the day where my mind can just rest and not try to solve problems.

I’ll eventually get into a rhythm, and getting these posts done along with everything else will fit in somehow. But for now. I’m declaring this one done so I can get to bed.

What do you do to give yourself (and your mind, specifically) a break from all the “be-productive-ness” in life?

Jamie DeBree

Writer | DBA | Dog Wrangler

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Rest and Recalibration