Hi Kathy. Thank you for sharing this insightful piece—especially the "Magic Ratio" for mastery, which caught me off guard. I appreciate how you've combined personal experience with research; it resonates deeply with my reflections on balancing ambition with rest. You've given me a lot to consider as I reassess my approach to work and life.
Here's a questi’s a question that occurred to me: How might our own biases about rest limit our ability to accept this wisdom, even when we intellectually agree with it? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks again for the fresh perspective!
Warm regards, Matt
btw - I am now a subscriber! Thank you for your thoughtful and informative piece.
Thanks, Matt! The Magic Ratio is incredible, and one of the ways I've used it is to use one area where I'm building mastery as my play time from another area I'm trying to build mastery. This way, they complement each other in my time.
Your question about bias is excellent. I think our internal saboteurs are always trying to "protect us" from new ideas that threaten the status quo. And I think it's possible to catch those narratives, challenge them, and then choose a path that right based on a more sage mindest.
Love that you are subscribing and look forward to your future feedback!
A great list of tips thanks Kathy. I especially enjoyed how rest can change depending on our needs. Sometimes we need relaxation. Sometimes we need more creative play or exercise.
Twice daily meditation (TM) has been part of my routine for more than 50 years because I feel rested and more clear and creative afterwards. And short breaks to run on my rebounder balance focused (seated) work.
Will try out more of your tips this year because I know rest is fundamental to feeling balanced and whole.
Gosh, you are a pro at taking time to rest! Twice daily meditation is already so incredibly beneficial -- and for 50 years -- WOW! And then running on a rebounder (I had to google what that even was!) -- that's amazing.
How long do you meditate for each session? I'd like make more time for PQ (positive intelligence) reps or meditation in the new year!
Can't wait to see how some of these approaches to rest work for you!
This is a phenomenal grouping of the top tips for creating a space to be able to get shit done. Like you, I might be a bit dubious on the Hemingway idea, but I've been trying to incorporate the others with varying degrees of success for the past few months. Couple of decades of deeply bad habits still in the process of uprooting.
Reading your insights on Gladway, I had the sudden thought that I used to do that. After each issue of the magazine was sent to the printer, I rarely did any heavy-lifting work for a couple of days after to recover. I still do it after finishing something big or difficult. Nice to know there's a scientific basis for taking that time :)
Thanks, Bryant! Yes, you are not just recovering from a big task, but you are giving your mind a chance to rest and rejuvenate so that it has more juice for your next bought of deep work!
Thanks for taking the time to read my post -- and appreciate your feedback!
Great article, Kathy. I had a fantastic boss in the 90s when I worked for a bank in the UK. He came into work at 8.00 am and left at 5.00 pm. And he took his hour for lunch. His premise was that if someone can't do their work in 8 hours, they are inefficient. This was an uncommon stance for an executive in those days, where long hours were lauded as the hallmark of success.
At the time, I did some research and discovered that people who work long days spend a lot of time working inefficiently and slowly due to fatigue. Plus, they spend a lot of time correcting fatigue induced errors.
Normalizing long hours has come back into fashion, but it doesn't make sense, either for the employee or the employer.
Hi Kathy. Thank you for sharing this insightful piece—especially the "Magic Ratio" for mastery, which caught me off guard. I appreciate how you've combined personal experience with research; it resonates deeply with my reflections on balancing ambition with rest. You've given me a lot to consider as I reassess my approach to work and life.
Here's a questi’s a question that occurred to me: How might our own biases about rest limit our ability to accept this wisdom, even when we intellectually agree with it? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks again for the fresh perspective!
Warm regards, Matt
btw - I am now a subscriber! Thank you for your thoughtful and informative piece.
Thanks, Matt! The Magic Ratio is incredible, and one of the ways I've used it is to use one area where I'm building mastery as my play time from another area I'm trying to build mastery. This way, they complement each other in my time.
Your question about bias is excellent. I think our internal saboteurs are always trying to "protect us" from new ideas that threaten the status quo. And I think it's possible to catch those narratives, challenge them, and then choose a path that right based on a more sage mindest.
Love that you are subscribing and look forward to your future feedback!
A great list of tips thanks Kathy. I especially enjoyed how rest can change depending on our needs. Sometimes we need relaxation. Sometimes we need more creative play or exercise.
Twice daily meditation (TM) has been part of my routine for more than 50 years because I feel rested and more clear and creative afterwards. And short breaks to run on my rebounder balance focused (seated) work.
Will try out more of your tips this year because I know rest is fundamental to feeling balanced and whole.
Thanks, Jeanette!
Gosh, you are a pro at taking time to rest! Twice daily meditation is already so incredibly beneficial -- and for 50 years -- WOW! And then running on a rebounder (I had to google what that even was!) -- that's amazing.
How long do you meditate for each session? I'd like make more time for PQ (positive intelligence) reps or meditation in the new year!
Can't wait to see how some of these approaches to rest work for you!
Even 5 minutes on a rebounder recharges me and gets the lymphatic system moving. Try it!
Amazing -- it's on my list!
This is a phenomenal grouping of the top tips for creating a space to be able to get shit done. Like you, I might be a bit dubious on the Hemingway idea, but I've been trying to incorporate the others with varying degrees of success for the past few months. Couple of decades of deeply bad habits still in the process of uprooting.
Reading your insights on Gladway, I had the sudden thought that I used to do that. After each issue of the magazine was sent to the printer, I rarely did any heavy-lifting work for a couple of days after to recover. I still do it after finishing something big or difficult. Nice to know there's a scientific basis for taking that time :)
Thanks, Bryant! Yes, you are not just recovering from a big task, but you are giving your mind a chance to rest and rejuvenate so that it has more juice for your next bought of deep work!
Thanks for taking the time to read my post -- and appreciate your feedback!
Ack! Gladwell, not Gladway!
Great article, Kathy. I had a fantastic boss in the 90s when I worked for a bank in the UK. He came into work at 8.00 am and left at 5.00 pm. And he took his hour for lunch. His premise was that if someone can't do their work in 8 hours, they are inefficient. This was an uncommon stance for an executive in those days, where long hours were lauded as the hallmark of success.
At the time, I did some research and discovered that people who work long days spend a lot of time working inefficiently and slowly due to fatigue. Plus, they spend a lot of time correcting fatigue induced errors.
Normalizing long hours has come back into fashion, but it doesn't make sense, either for the employee or the employer.