Creative strategies to prioritize rest
Like many academics, I often struggle with rest. Sometimes it’s because I have too many projects on my plate or because I’m particularly stressed and have trouble mentally disconnecting from work at the end of the day. Other times it’s honestly because I’m just having too much fun with what I’m working on and I don’t want to stop spending time on it.
Regardless, we all know that rest is important -rest is crucial. But sometimes I need to trick myself into resting or find ways to sneak it into my day. Here are some strategies that have helped me - if you struggle to find the time to rest, I hope they help you too!
Find activities that have deadlines
One of the biggest ways that I push myself to rest is by finding activities that I enjoy that have their own deadlines. The biggest example of this is reading library books - I love to read and often have a long list of library books on hold at any given time. When a book becomes available, I know I’ll only have a few weeks to read it before it has to be returned. This pushes me to prioritize reading and often replaces scrolling through my phone (which seems restful but isn’t very restoring for me). Another way that I do this is with films that are only available to stream for short periods of time through a limited release.
Sneak rest into your day
Having a day full of Zoom meetings can make it really hard to find times to rest, but you don’t need a ton of uninterrupted time to sneak in some rest. Finding short 5-15 minute windows to sneak rest into your day can almost make it into a game. Some of my favorite ways to do this are to practice a short meditation between Zoom meetings (Insight Timer is a favorite app for this) or to read a little of my current book over lunch, instead of eating at my desk and continuing to work. Another way I might do this is to go make a cup of tea or coffee and leave my phone at my desk. This keeps me from checking emails or scrolling while I’m in the kitchen and helps me practice a little mindfulness.
Make rest social
External accountability is a big motivator for me, especially when I’m accountable to another person! I sometimes use this to my advantage by encouraging myself to engage in restful activities. For me, this might mean going on a long walk with my partner or spending an evening playing board games with friends. Committing to engage in non-work activities with someone else is a great way to ensure I stay off my phone and fully engage in the activity!
Engage in active rest
When I was in graduate school, one of my favorite restful activities was playing video games. Whenever I turned on Netflix, it was all too easy to open my computer or phone and start thinking about work. But I couldn’t do that when playing a video game! It became very restorative to have to focus on just one thing in front of me. Consider how you might engage in some active rest where you can’t focus on anything else except the activity. Some ideas might be playing a board game, working on a puzzle, painting, cross-stitch, or knitting.
Tune in to what your body needs
Sometimes after being at my desk all day, my brain and my body just need a change of scenery. I might try to find a different place to work, like from the couch or at the kitchen table. Other times I might find a way to get outdoors by taking a call by phone instead of Zoom and spending that time walking around outside or sitting in the sun. It’s a great way to mix up the day and incorporate some recovery time. This also shows up at the end of the day or when I find myself trying to force myself to continue working. If I keep getting distracted or thinking “I really don’t want to work on this anymore,” I take that as a sign that it’s time to call it a night and stop working for the evening.
Put boundaries on your time
For some people, putting boundaries on your time might mean not working in the evenings or on the weekends. Because I work full-time and have a business to run, that’s just not possible for me. But! I can still have boundaries around when and how I work. The way I practice this is to spend weekends prioritizing getting things done in the morning so that I can confidently close my laptop and spend the rest of the day enjoying the weekend.
