Why Frequent Rest and Rejuvenation Improves Creativity

Many of us were reared with the philosophy, “put your nose to the grindstone and push, push, push.” Whether you were reared that way or worked in this type of company culture, you may have come to believe that rest and recreation only come after the job is completed. Rest is something you must earn or “deserve.”

What if I told you that this philosophy is counterproductive to creativity? It is unnatural and contrary to the laws of nature. Nature isn’t called “creation” for no reason. Nature is a creation machine! We’d do well to learn from it.

On a monthly level, the lunar phases route through a full moon, which wanes eventually into darkness and then waxes back to a fullness of illumination. Symbolically, the moon is “taking a rejuvenating.” Daily, nature illustrates that there is time for new beginnings, work and rest (or rejuvenation). Each day provides:

New beginnings at dawn
Daylight for illuminating your work
A wrap-up of the day at sunset
And time to rest at night.

Similarly, the seasons of the year give us greater insights into the creative cycle:

Spring is a state of flow and new beginnings
Summer is for production, expansion, and growth
Autumn is a time of harvest, celebration, organization, and preparation
In winter, the earth rests and invites us to as well

Nature illustrates cycles within cycles within cycles. With its built-in rest periods, it forces us to break big projects into bite-sized pieces. No gardener would expect her green beans to be planted, grown, and harvested in a single day. Intrinsic in the creative process is rest. Yet, culturally, we’ve been trained to fight the rest. It may have started when mankind moved away from an agrarian society or when modern electric lights extended the workday.

Regardless of what modern culture expects, we are biological earthly beings in a natural world. We go through similar creative cycles as the earth.

Spring (Flow)

Spring (or Flow) is when ideas pop, and we’re in an inspired, creative state. It’s easy to brainstorm and come up with lots of ideas. Like the flowers blooming, your ideas are blooming.

Summer (Production)

Spring leads into summer (or Production) when we expand on, create, and implement our idea(s). Like the earth producing plants and growing, you’ll, hopefully, take an idea and push it forward toward completion.

Autumn (Harvest)

Autumn (Harvest) is meant to be a gathering in, a celebration, and storing up in preparation for the rest phase of winter. But most of us use this phase to put our lives back in order after our “nose to the grindstone” production phase. By the end of the production phase, our homes, offices, or desks could be chaotic. If we’re working at home, we may have lived on junk food or takeout. Our bodies are screaming for something healthier.

If we don’t have good systems in place, our environments and our health may be chaotic. Most people skip over celebration and go straight to organization. Some may feel the tug to get things back in order, to rein in the chaos. Others may trample over autumn under the pressure to stay productive or to force new ideas out of season.

Winter (Rest)

Winter is for rest and rejuvenation (from this point I’ll just call it rest). In the modern work world, rest is viewed as something you better find a way to do “on your own time.” Most people keep working too long in the production phase or try to force flow out of season. Try as we might, you can’t force flow. Our inability to find our inspired stride often makes us doubt ourselves, thinking there is something wrong with us. Or we resent our employers, clients, deadlines, or bill collectors because we feel the ever-present pressure to constantly perform and produce.

Winter can’t be skipped in nature; and if you try to skip it in your life, your body will find a way to force you to rest — through creative block, sickness, injury, or brain fog.

Work with Your Cycles, Not Against Them!

Imagine what it would be like to take your big ideas to the finish line and reap the rewards from them without burning yourself out.

If you work with your cycles, instead of against them, you will be more creative, more productive, and feel greater well-being. If you fight cycles and try to do things out of season, you’ll be less inspired, less productive, stressed out, and less healthy.

Even companies that incorporate “wellness days” and “wellness weekends” would benefit by training their employees on the importance of rest – not just on special days or weekends, but also as a daily part of their lives and workday.

Tracking Your Cycles

I highly recommend tracking your moods. Track the phase you think you’re in. Ask yourself, “Was I full of new ideas and epiphanies today?” If so, you were in a state of Flow. “Did I get a lot done today that didn’t require new thinking?” If so, it’s Production. For example, programming for me is a Production activity. I may be creating something new, but I’m using knowledge that I already possess to accomplish it. I’m past the idea phase and now I’m implementing.

If you’re exhausted and it took all you could do to drag through the day, you’re in a rest phase. You’d be better off taking the rest because you’ll bounce back to “spring” or flow all the faster.

Track your phases for as long as you can. If you track for a month, you’ll start to see patterns. You’ll notice how long you can stay in the Flow and Production states before you need a Rest phase. Your Rest seems to be proportional to the amount of energy you expended in the other three phases (Flow, Production and Harvest). If you’ve been through something exhausting, you’ll need more rest. The best way to keep your body from using sickness to get you to rest is to integrate rest regularly into your daily life.

As you track your cycles, you’ll see little cycles and big cycles. I have cycles within cycles. Many years I hit a Rest phase in the summer. For you it may be winter, fall or spring. You will have micro cycles. Be aware of yourself. Schedule yourself accordingly.

Get familiar with how your body works. Some people feel they have a cycle within the day. They might have less energy first thing in the morning. Then they hit their stride after an hour or two. They may want to take a nap in the afternoon and then get a second wind in the evening.

Relax into the Rest

Listen to your body. Go ahead and take the break. Don’t strain yourself. I know that’s hard. Even when I know I’m supposed to be resting, guilt can crop up. “I’m not accomplishing anything. I have work to do. I have a looming deadline.” At a visceral level, we struggle with the Rest phase and feel it is somehow wrong. Despite that, know that the Rest is necessary, and it will serve you. It’s all part of the cycle.

Rest with intention. Go into rest knowing it serves the greater good and enhances not only your wellbeing but also your overall productivity. The quicker you allow the Rest, the better. Rest doesn’t have to look like lying in bed or vegging in front of the TV. Rest can be fun and enjoyable.

Bliss Breaks

I’ve found it helpful to take mini “bliss breaks” (aka rest periods) throughout the day that keep me focused on the positive and beautiful in the world. Bliss breaks are intentional breaks doing something that rejuvenates me and brings me joy. It’s more than rest. It’s refueling your soul and psyche. Some things I do are:

go outside for a few minutes and dig in my garden
go for a walk
sit on my front porch and count my blessings
take a snuggly power nap with my husband
Go to lunch with a friend
work out
drive “top down, tunes up” through the countryside
crank up my music and sing along
take a break and chat about something meaningful with my husband
play the piano
kick back with a good book.

I’ve found that sprinkling these “bliss breaks” throughout the day not only helps me avoid burnout, but also increases my gratitude for the things I have and brings more good things to me.

I challenge you to make a list of what brings you joy and rejuvenation and start the habit of incorporating these activities into your day. Ask yourself, “What makes me feel energized? What brings me true joy?” Sprinkle your bliss breaks throughout the day and watch wonderful things unfold in your life. While you’re at it, think bigger! Point your entire life toward and focus on what brings you bliss. It’s a miraculous way to live!

I talk about the creative cycle more and how to work with it in my book, “Trust Your Heart: Spirit-Led Business.” I’d love to hear how you incorporate rest and bliss breaks into your day. Please either comment below or join the Spirit-Led Business Group here and share your insights.