Boost Your Productivity with More (& Better) Rest
While the rest of the world is Googling “how to get more done on less sleep,” I’m over here making my bedtime playlist of relaxing jams to maximize my snooze time.
Because my secret to getting more done is more sleep. Not less.
Without a solid 7-9 hours a night, I’m no use to anyone. In fact, I consider quality rest a vital part of my business — and my very favorite productivity tip for entrepreneurs.
Without enough rest, you’re not able to fully revitalize yourself and conjure up the creativity and endurance you need to grow and sustain a thriving business.
But... as an entrepreneur, you need to be able to fit rest into your daily life for more reasons than squeezing every last drop out of each day. You need to be able to take time away from your business — like an actual vacation! — so you can keep running the business you love without burning out.
Get Refreshed & Avoid Burnout
I spoke about how important rest is to me with someone who understands it better than anyone: Deanna Mason. She’s the host of the Refreshed Moms Podcast, and she has devoted her career to helping mom leaders exchange overcommitment and burnout with renewing rest. Without sacrificing revenue.
We had the best conversation about helping entrepreneurs have the time and energy to devote to the things in their lives that matter most to them — something we are each so passionate about.
During one of her podcasts, I learned about the book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith. Dr. Dalton-Smith is a board-certified internal medicine physician, author, and speaker — you can find out more about her here.
She pretty much toppled everything I thought I knew about sleep when she said in her book… (pause for dramatic effect):
Sleep and rest are not the same thing.
What.
I had to let that one sink in.
But it all made perfect sense when she went on to explain that just because we get a good night’s sleep doesn’t mean we are rested. I know I have days when I get a good night’s sleep, but still feel zapped of energy at the end of the day.
And now I know why. Dr. Dalton-Smith has identified seven types of rest that we need in order to feel restored. SEVEN. Did you even know there were seven types of rest? I didn’t.
The 7 Types of Rest We Need
Dr. Dalton-Smith explains that when we’re depleted of one type of rest, it can have negative effects not only on our productivity and creativity at work but on our health, happiness, and relationships.
The key is to identify which type of rest we’re running low on so we can figure out how to fill up our tanks again. She says rest should equal restoration in one of the seven areas.
So, without further ado, these are the seven types of rest and how to catch up on them.
Physical Rest
Most of us know when we’re not getting enough physical rest. It’s when you literally can’t keep your eyes open. But physical rest actually comes in a couple of forms: passive and active.
Passive physical rest is sleep, and active physical rest is doing things like yoga or taking a relaxing walk.
So, what about the recommendation that we need 6-8 hours of sleep each night? Dr. Dalton-Smith is all for paying attention to what works best for us. Some of us are just wired to need more (hi, that’s me!) or less.
And if you’re under stress at work or home, you just might need to hit the hay a bit earlier.
Mental Rest
Ever just sit there staring at your screen, but you can’t possibly process what’s on it? That brain mush you’re feeling is the need for mental rest. You can’t keep your mind at full throttle all day long. You need some downtime so you can remind yourself to stop, slow down, and calm your mind.
One trick that helps me clear my mind, especially before I end work for the day, is to jot down the next day’s tasks, so I can wipe them from my brain.
Another idea is to keep a notepad by your bed, so if thoughts of tomorrow keep spinning through your head while you're trying to fall asleep, you can just roll over and write them down.
Spiritual Rest
If you've had thoughts about your purpose in life or moments of feeling alone, it's a sign that your spiritual tank is on E.
From time to time, we need to feel a connection to something greater than ourselves. Something that goes beyond mental and physical.
And this is where you might feel energized through prayer or seeking out volunteer opportunities.
Emotional Rest
Anyone with people-pleasing tendencies who puts the wants of others above their own needs has likely experienced the need for emotional rest. When you spend too much time not being your authentic self — smiling even if you’re not happy, always answering “fine” to every “how are you” — it gets exhausting.
We all need someone we can be “real” with and express our true emotions, whether it’s a friend, family member, or therapist.
Social Rest
There are certain people in our lives that pull from our social energy — the ones who always need something from us.
And it’s not always in a bad way. It could be your kids or spouse.
If you’re a parent, you’ve likely felt those times when you just needed to spend time with someone who doesn’t need anything from you. That was your body tuning in to your need for social rest. When you spend time with people who fuel you and don’t put any demands on you, you’re catching up on social rest.
Sensory Rest
Our brains can only interpret so much information at a time. So when you have phone notifications buzzing, background noise, and constant stimulation from screens, it’s easy to hit overload.
Some of Dr. Dalton-Smith’s tips for catching up on sensory rest are stepping away from the screen and connecting with people — in person. Another is to read an actual paper book.
Sensory rest is one I’ve been working on by trying to break my bad phone habits. You can see what I’m doing here and maybe get some ideas that work for you, too.
Creative Rest
As entrepreneurs, your creativity is likely on overdrive most of the time.
And it’s not just quote-unquote creative work (writing, photography, creating recipes, etc.) that can tap you. Constant problem-solving can pull from your creative juices and leave you feeling depleted.
Creative rest is giving yourself pause to appreciate beauty, whether it’s in the arts, nature, music — whatever fills you up. For me, I get energized by taking nature walks with my son or my dog.
Get More Rest AND Get More Done
So, the moral of the story from these two amazing women is that rest is no longer something we should see as optional. And that by seeking out the rest we need, we can optimize productivity and increase our happiness.
Wondering if you have a sleep deficit? And what type of rest you need? Find out using Dr. Dalton-Smith’s free assessment here.
To get started creating a plan to feel more rested and refreshed, you can enroll in Deanna Mason’s Refreshed Mom’s Starter Kit for free right here.
Find Rest In Your Business
If you’re ready to take back your time and stop doing everything on your own, tap into the power of outsourcing. You might be surprised at just how freeing it feels to hand off tasks to someone else — and how quickly you can grow your business.
My digital program, The Hiring Fix, will give you tried-and-true strategies for hiring your dream team so you can spend more time doing what you love, stop doing the things you don’t, and reclaim your energy so you can follow your dreams.
