Innovation Through Rest
Tomorrow is the "official" start of our spring break and we are going to a jungle where there is no wifi, no cell coverage, and no hair dryers.
While this wasn't sold as a "benefit" to the lodge where we're staying, it could be. After all, I use these three daily/hourly/constantly and I can't wait to unplug!
However, for you my faithful readers, I've decided to speed the week reposting earlier blogs which you may have missed. These posts are either my favorites, or where I've received the most feedback. Check back every morning, since I won't be on Facebook or Twitter to send reminders!
See you next week!!
*** REPOST ***
Breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day.
Sure, I've heard a healthy breakfast is the most critical part of weight loss and/or maintenance, but that doesn't mean I heed the advice. Getting up and eating to lose weight feels counter-intuitive. My appetite is like a sleeping giant, and having breakfast feels as though I'm stirring the beast.
Still, the evidence for this beneficial practice is overwhelming, and so I dutifully eat my oatmeal and banana.
For me, there's a similar tension with the concept of rest. There's plenty of evidence that we need rest and that nothing feeds productivity like time off. However, for me, unplugging is a discipline more difficult than simply feeding my face.
I cannot seem to wrap my mind around the idea that sometimes the most productive thing I can do is take a nap.
God established the Sabbath (Shabbat), or the seventh day of the week, as a day for rest, and a few brave souls still observe this ancient command today. However, another Biblical concept even more radical and almost entirely unknown is the idea of a Sabbath Year (Shmita). The Sabbath Year is where every seven years you take a year off.
What?! Can you imagine such a thing?
Even if your organization gives sabbaticals (notice the "sabbath" word in there!) after seven years, they probably don't give you an entire YEAR off. The mere idea seems crazy because, after all, where's the return on THAT investment?
Absurd!
However, like eating breakfast in the morning, maybe this idea has more to it than you can see at first glance. Maybe, real creativity and innovation comes when what we do is unplug, rest, and allow our mind to recover.
The concept intrigues me in ways I can't explain, so I won't try any further. Instead, I encourage you to take 18 minutes of your day (today or sometime this week) to listen to a man who shuts down his firm every seven years to take a break.
Pay attention to his opinions on how the idea of rest pays off. Hopefully you'll find it as fascinating as I.
Have a great week!