I have a short piece about deliberate rest in the British magazine AskMen, in which I draw the parallel between deliberate rest in creative work, and rest and recovery days in exercise:

In recent decades, coaches and trainers have been working rest days into athletes’ workout schedules. Those aren’t just idle periods: properly scheduled rest times help athletes get stronger, sharpen their skills, and consolidate muscle memory. It turns out that rest can play a similar role in our working lives. The right kinds of rest can help us effectively recharge the mental and physical energy lost at work. Well-time periods of rest can boost our creativity. And for people working in creative fields, well-designed rest can help them be more productive, even while working fewer hours.

It echoes the point Elizabeth Millard made in her recent piece, and which I think I’ll explore in greater detail later.