Guy Reams (00:01.454)
Today is day 98, resting is work.
You know, this topic comes up with me over and over again. And it's really just because I can't get it through my stupid head that
process of growing or improving or even working on something requires
Guy Reams (00:25.998)
So I always look for ways to articulate this so that I can believe it because I don't. I grew up believing that I have to always be working to be effective. Like I have to always be burning the candle on both ends. I always have to be putting in
more hours than the next person. I have to be waking up before everybody else and going to bed after. I have this complete belief in my mind that the only way to be successful is to be always working. The problem with that is there's no time for recovery, which is a very important process of growing. In addition, you cannot perform at your optimum at all times.
without adequate amounts of rest. And I'm not talking about just sleep. Rest comes in many forms and each of these forms are very important. For example, you do need to sleep, that is rest. But you also need to take breaks from intense activity so that you can come back to it. You cannot continue intense activity for long periods of time without falling apart or crumbling.
So you have to build in breaks throughout your structured day, but also throughout the weeks and even in the months. You need to find time where your brain can be disconnected from what it is you're doing so that when you come back to it, you can come back to it with fervor. So rest is absolutely part of the process.
You could almost dare say that rest is one of the more effective things that you can do to do hard work. Because if you are getting adequate rest, you are performing at your optimum, which means that you'll get more work product done. If you're trying to drag yourself through it, barely making it because you're on edge or too tired,
Guy Reams (02:39.01)
then you just will not be as effective as you could have been if you were well rested and enthusiastic. core principle, rest is work. Second principle, thinking is work. This is another concept that I come back to frequently. It is okay, and it is actually work, to stop and think.
How often do we do work tasks without actually thinking about what we're doing? Do we know the purpose, the reason, the why behind it? Is what we are doing actually a good activity? Are we actually getting the results that we want? Or are we just simply showing up to one meeting after another without any real rhyme or reason? You need to have incorporated in your day
dedicated time to just solely the process of thinking. You also need an environment that invites thinking. Sitting in front of a desk with a bunch of computer monitors is not conducive of thinking. Thinking requires, well, an empty space with a notebook and a pen maybe, or in an environment that is comfortable and well lit, maybe some fresh air.
I don't know what it is for you. I think better when I don't have bunch of distractions for me and I can just sit and I can contemplate what's going on in my life. So thinking is also work. It is okay just to sit there. You don't have to be looking busy all the time. See, my problem is I'm always getting up and doing something. I'm always doing something. I'm always moving around. I'm always getting something done. I'm always...
But that's actually not that good. You need to be sitting there and thinking sometimes. two things remind ourselves. Rest is actually part of work. And thinking is actually part of work.