The 1:2 work-rest day (how being bored changed my life)

When I entered school I had this amazing ability.

At least I thought I did.

It was the ability to be distracted. I thought it was the greatest thing you could own. But in a structured school system, you will learn that that is not the case.

Over the years I began to see a bizarre pattern.

People would work, complain about life, work, and go home again. Looking at their physiques there weren't in great shape either.

I started to think.

'How can this be?'

After a focus course, I took with former colleagues it hit me.

We aren't bored anymore.

The Performance Paradox

Today, you’re applauded for working 10+ hours a day.

Work hard play hard, right?

That's the mantra so many of us have heard day to day. If you told that to a philosopher from the 15th century they would have diagnosed you as mentally ill.

We’re living in the performance paradox.

We believe that working more leads to success. To a better life. To wealth.

We couldn't be further from the truth.

Let's zoom in on our current working economy.

• Highest levels of burn-outs ever

• More than 50% don't love their job

• A growing pandemic of overweight and obesity

• Slaves to instant gratification

• Lost the lust to wander

• Decreases our productivity instead of increasing it

Yeah, that sounds pretty bad.

Yet the answer is so simple. And we can turn things around pretty quickly.

The Energy Pillars

Life force is something you should treasure, not destroy.

Every day we use energy. Life energy. But we neglect to replenish it. You may think 'well but I sleep 7+ hours'. I'm going to be honest here, that isn't going to cut it.

You use your life energy for 4 pillars:

You can view each component as a muscle. What happens when you overuse a muscle? It gets injured.

So what you need is rest. And what is the ultimate way of resting?

Being bored.

The Default Mode Network

The secret of boredom lies in what is happening in the brain.

Is our brain active when we are focused on information? Yes.

Is our brain active when we are not focused on information? Also yes.

Once you're done taking information another part of your brain lists up. It switches to the Default Mode Network(DMN). Here it processes all the information that you gathered. It looks for ways to solve problems by making connections through different brain regions.

So besides the process what are the actual benefits of resting?

Glad you asked.

• It strengthens the brain

• It enhances your learning capabilities

• Build stronger lateral connections(creativity)

• More coped to deal with stress

• Less anxious

• More in touch with your life's work

• Better memory

Resting is not only a good strategy but also a must for proper human development.

If you don't rest, you'll take away oxygen from the flame.

If you rest, you'll give oxygen to the flame.

I know you know which one burns brighter.

The Art of Boredom

Great artists from current and previous generations knew the power of boredom.

They never worked more than 4-6 hours a day.

They did 4-6 hours on average of deep work and spend the rest of the time doing non-tasks-related things.

Napping, walking, hiking, and exercising were all activities they did daily. Their performance didn't suffer, it was enhanced by resting, by being bored.

So how can we make you feel bored again?

I know what you're thinking. 'I work for a boss, I can't work 4 hours a day!'

But can't you?

Before we lay down a process that you can follow let's establish something.

Being bored means that you're not pursuing task-related thinking.

1:2 work-rest day

The key lies in making performance and rest partners for life.

To ensure this you'll want to incorporate the 1:2 rest day. This means that for every hour you work there have to be 30 minutes of rest, accumulated.

30 minutes per hour?

'That's a lot'.

Is it?

Let's zoom in on an example.

Say you work for 6 hours, that means you have to rest for 3 hours. If you start at 8 a.m. that means you're done at 17 p.m.

You can plan your rest however you want.

This flexibility allows you to maximize your performance.

Here is mine:

8.00 a.m. - 12.00 a.m. = 3,5 hours of work & 30 minutes of rest

12.00 a.m. - 14.00 p.m. = 2 hours of rest

14.00 a.m. - 17.00 p.m = 2,5 hours of work & 30 minutes of rest

Your productivity will skyrocket with this method.

But what do I do when I rest?

You're going to be bored. Or at least often.

But being bored can be fun.

Let me help you with that.

The being-bored-in-a-fun-way list

This list will give you activities to do when you are going to rest.

Very important is that most of the time you want to put your phone away.

Looking at your phone 90% of the time is not resting. It is injecting cheap dopamine hits.

We want to release the tension on the 4 pillars that are mentioned before(spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical).

Let's check out the list:

1. Go for a walk

2. Take naps

3. NSDR-protocol

4. Listen to music

5. Have a coffee talk with a colleague

6. Do the dishes

7. Clean the house

8. Doing groceries

9. Listen to a podcast

10. Do some stretches

11. Journaling

As you can see they are activities where you are not task-focused. They allow for more mind-wandering or inward thinking.

You can do any of these things while you're resting. But I encourage you to start experimenting with your own activities that allow you to rest.

The goal is to observe over time what this resting mechanism does for your well-being.

• Does your focus increase? Or your output?

• Are you able to find new solutions easier?

• Are you less anxious or stressed?

In the end, it comes down to the reps.

If you put in the time that's when you'll see lasting results.

To summarize:

• The Performance Paradox

• Problems of this paradox

• Our energy pillars

• Using our DMN and its benefits

• The 1:2 rest day

• Ways to be bored in a fun way

One of our greatest challenges is to not go faster but to go smarter. Being smart is using the synergy between performance and rest.

Therefore being bored should not be neglected.

It should be worn with honor.

Hope you enjoyed it and take care!

See you next time.

- Tim