The Restful Path to Greater Productivity in 5 Easy Steps

Can you do less and be more productive? I’m here to tell you, yes it is possible. In this post, I will share how to take the restful path to greater productivity in 5 easy steps.

Many of us have experienced that thrill and excitement while setting our New Year’s resolutions or weekly and monthly goals. We add the tasks and activities required to achieve our goals to our long To-Dos list. We believe we have the time and energy to accomplish every task on this list. Then something happens; after a few days or weeks of going hard on our To Do list, our motivation wanes, we experience an energy slump, and that thrill and excitement we initially experienced fades away.

I know many of you can relate to this experience. Studies have shown that 88% of us fail within 30 days of making our new year’s resolution. The annoying setbacks, unfinished goals, and lack of visible progress can be disheartening, but let’s look at what may be causing us to fail.

Why can’t we accomplish all of our goals?

We live in a fast-paced culture that emphasizes being busy and productive. Unfortunately, many of us are operating on autopilot, trying to manage and complete this lengthy, unrealistic list of tasks. If you search for how to be successful, many articles, YouTube videos, podcasts, and other mediums offer tips on being more productive, which essentially means doing more.

But what if we can be as successful by doing less, you know the motto, “work smarter, not harder.” What if we collectively decide to change how we think about productivity by adding and emphasizing rest as part of the productivity model versus the model currently resulting in burnout.

What are the benefits of resting?

Studies have shown many benefits of rest, such as decreasing stress, increasing creativity, improving short-term memory, and improving mood because rest allows for restoring mental energy. Many studies also conclude that rest is crucial in building and sustaining long-term success.

Rest can be different for each person. Some people may read a book or hang out with friends, while others may watch a show or take a nap. While these are all suitable relaxing activities, the type of rest that provides the best results is allowing your mind to wander. Letting your mind wander has been shown to activate specific regions of the brain, such as the default mode network (DMN). The DMN is linked to thinking about others, memories, creativity, and how we define our sense of self.

It’s exciting to learn that research shows which type of rest provides the best results. Yet, ask yourself when was the last time you intentionally let your mind wander. In our fast-paced world, it isn’t easy to find the time to rest, much less let our minds wander purposefully. Similar to developing any new skill, this too will take practice.

So, you might be wondering if this is a skill that takes practice; is there anything else you can do in the meantime? Yes, there are ways that you can find overall rest and, in turn, feel more productive. And the answer lies in a well-known phrase “less is more.”

5 easy steps to do less everyday

1) Cut your to-do list in half:

Take a good look at your to-do list; it can be daily, weekly, or monthly. Determine what task you need to complete and what task can wait. Many people, myself included overshoot how much we can reasonably accomplish in a day, week, or month. Being overly ambitious can either lead to stress because you are constantly attempting to complete the long list of tasks or feeling discouraged when you are unable to complete the list. 

To avoid this, I write everything I would like to do in a day, then review my list and cut- it in half. First, there is the half that I need to complete and that I can realistically achieve in a day, then the second half I consider the wish list. I only attempt the tasks on the wish list if I have the time and energy, and it doesn’t replace my rest. 

This method is a variation of the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, a time-management strategy that helps you determine which tasks to prioritize. In the Eisenhower method, you review your To Do List and decide, 1) which tasks are urgent and need to be completed that day, 2) which tasks are important but not urgent and can be scheduled another time, 3) which tasks are urgent & not important that can be delegated to someone and which tasks are not urgent & not important and hence can be deleted from the list.

My variation on the Eisenhower Decision Matrix leaves me feeling more rested because I’m not working every minute of the day trying to check every task off my do-list. But at the same time, I feel accomplished because I can consistently complete the main tasks I set out for myself each day.

2) Say- No

There is no shortage of messages promoting the need to be everywhere, experience everything, and help everyone. You have self-improvement challenges that encourage you to say “Yes” to everything. These challenges are well-meaning because they hope that by saying “yes” , it will challenge you to get out of your way and experience the life you are reportedly missing. And indeed, there are benefits to saying “yes” to things that may scare you, make you nervous, or that will push you out of your comfort zone. Saying “yes” can lead to unique experiences and self-growth that you may not necessarily obtain if you constantly say no. 

However, the constant need to say “yes” that I’m specifically referring to are the ones you do at your expense. The culture of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), over-scheduling, and over-promising can be detrimental to your health. It is not wrong to want the most out of life and our relationships, but like many things in excess, it can eventually take its toll.

Saying no can be difficult; I regularly struggle with this because I never want to disappoint someone. Still, I’ve learned that periodically saying no has provided me with more balance. It has allowed me more time to rest, enabling me to feel more energized and joyful when I say yes rather than feeling like it’s an obligation.

Although challenging, regulating how often you say “yes” is essential. Moderation is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle. If it is difficult to say “no,” start with something small that may be less important. For example, you don’t want to go to your regular Sunday brunch, or you can’t review a project for someone because you’re busy with your work. The more you practice saying “no,” the more comfortable and empowered you will feel. 

This practice will help you decline other future offers with ease and comfort while helping you create a balanced life of both activity and rest.

3) Follow the 80-20 rule

The Pareto principle states that about 80% of outcomes come from 20 % of causes. In other words, 80% of your results come from 20% of your inputs. This principle is used in many settings and is helpful in many aspects of daily life. For example, when I set plans to accomplish goals, I review them and choose what would give me the highest return. Although this is a constant work in progress, creating more efficient steps to reach my goal instead of a long list of steps is beneficial.

You can also apply this rule to your to-do list. What is on your list that will give the most significant return if you accomplish it, and what is on the list that you can delegate or remove entirely because, in the end, it will have no impact? The goal of following the 80-20 rule is to “work smarter and not harder” to obtain your intended results efficiently without sacrificing time you could use to rest.

4) Schedule time to rest intentionally

Here is the part you may not like to hear, but it has to be said you have to make the time to rest. Before you can practice intentional resting, you must schedule time for rest. The current culture promotes always being busy. If it’s not doing activities in real life, when we finally sit, we are connected to devices to fill our time. Now I’m not suggesting you cancel all your subscriptions and deactivate all your social media accounts.

Like many others, I enjoy watching Netflix shows, catching new videos from my favorite YouTubers, or listening to music on Spotify. But we can all admit that we can decrease the time spent on these devices and replace it with downtime. It is often challenging to realize how much time you spend taking in content.

Therefore what I’ve found helpful is the method of habit stacking by using these same platforms to develop the habit of making time to rest. For example, before watching your favorite Youtuber, select a short-guided meditation video that you can follow or challenge yourself to sit quietly for 5 minutes before watching your next Netflix show. Attaching these new habits to existing habits will make it easier to remember, and soon you will find that you are scheduling rest time or naturally performing it without the assistance of other habits.

5) Honor how you feel

Lastly, pay attention to how you feel. Have you reached the point of burnout, or are you stressed because you are constantly working but can’t see the desired results? If this occurs, it’s time to listen to your body, honor that feeling, and take a moment to assess what is happening in your life. Life has ups, downs, and curve-balls that can send you into a tailspin, making you feel out of control. But it’s essential to take a moment to look at what is in your control and make the necessary changes.

You may have yet to master intentional resting and letting your mind wander. But following these steps will help you to incorporate rest as part of your daily practice and decrease the chances of you depleting your energy to burnout. Rest will help to improve your mental- energy and provide you with the space to be more productive in a healthy and intentional manner. Of course, life is unpredictable, so you may not always be able to practice these steps. But you can always revisit these steps when your motivation wanes and the thrill and excitement fizzles; to get back on track. 

Hope you have a restful day!

Sweet Lyfe Daily

Comment below on how you plan to do less and what methods has worked for you