Workaholics take note!

A thorough review of how successful people through the ages have harnessed rest to help them perform better. Could be condensed maybe but perhaps we need the point hammered home that it’s helpful not lazy to get away from the desk more often!

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rest is important

great book and why rest is important and what effect it can have on the body and mind.

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The perfect prescription for burnout and stress

I've now read this book three times in paperback, and listened twice to the audio; the overall message - which is still somehow the opposite of common sense - is one worth drumming into yourself repeatedly. Besides that, this is a meticulously crafted piece of non-fiction that can be digested easily even on first listen. Every point is thoroughly backed up, no theme outstays its welcome, and the narration is superb. Couldn't recommend more highly.

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Insightful

Very helpful and insightful, being self-employed you often find the balance of work:rest very difficult and this helps break the psychology of needing to be busy the whole time.

Not sure it needs to be quite as long as it simply reinforces the importance of rest relative to creativity/productivity, repeatedly.

Still very enjoyable though.

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Rest is productive

This is an excellent book that I strongly recommend. Like me, many people are 'addicted' to working - I know I get a buzz or fix from having a packed day but my cup empties taking me into unhealthy physical and emotional states. We learn to detach from our 'body' self and drive ourselves by our intellect's wants, shoulds, oughts, as well as our greed.
We need to learn how to stop, before exhaustion forces us to do so. This book offers very practical ways to manage our working lives. It shows that by working less we can be MORE productive. A great read/listen.

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5 people found this helpful

Inspiring and daily-life changing

The anecdotes and research on active deliberate rest gave me deep permission to value living life my way (working from home, part-time and contemplatively) rather than feeling I ought to join the rat race and 'look busy' full-time. I only give 3 stars on story because the vast majority of examples given are men and very little is said about the lives of women and how this philosophy on rest fits into the demands of mothering for decades of your career life.

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2 people found this helpful

A wake up call. Excellent.

The contents of the book on how rest is in fact as important to work couldn't have come at a better time. It reminds one that successful people don't just focus on their task at hand, they have deliberate times to pursue their other interests.

Theories are presented at the beginning and then supported through lived experiences. Much of what is shared can be easily adapted to suit anyone in today's society.

What I have learnt here through this book is put into use immediately. In fact, a second listen is important to catch up on the salient points I missed.

The narrator helps keep the text moving. But in a book of this sort, there isn't really much to the excitement. Just pure revelations.

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The power of deliberate rest

The book is centered on deliberate rest, in different shapes and forms: sleep, sabbaticals, play etc, things that help us connect to our inner side.

The author gives many examples on why the rest is beneficial for us, why it helps us improve our life, health and relationships.

It is a light listen but it is very good in inspiring for deliberate rest - a conscious way to disconnect.

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Couldn't bear the narrator

I was so ready to listen to something about rest, but the narrator is so so dreadful. So so monotone and makes resting sound like some kind of macho chore.

In terms of content there is such a lot of listing of people who have taken naps, done the different things etc. It's just so dull! I'd skip!

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1 person found this helpful

Bit repetitive

This book had too much anecdote in it for me, and not enough different points. I don’t really need as many different examples as the writer gives for each point he’s making. It started to get very repetitive after a while. I did finish the book, but towards the end I was playing it on double speed and skipping ahead every now and then. The bit I found really useful was about the different elements of recovery, but that can be summarised very quickly – recovery is made up of relaxation, control over your time and attention, mastery experiences e.g. playing an instrument, and mental detachment from work. I would have enjoyed more information about how to rest properly and deeply, and fewer examples of the amazing things other people achieved because they rested.

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1 person found this helpful