The past few months (well, year, if we are being honest!) has been absolutely chaotic. If you’re anything like me, you’ve likely been trying to stay as busy as possible to keep yourself occupied through the pandemic and general craziness of the world and you might be starting to feel a bit burnt out. I just realized this myself lately and decided to tell the family to pack up some things and get out of the house for a little vacation.

When was the last time you took a day off? Or even better, when was the last time you took an actual vacation– and left your laptop at home? Now I know, there is a pandemic still going on, but that doesn’t mean you can’t walk away from your home office or have a little staycation and enjoy the things in your area!

Resting is so important in all seasons of life, but even more so when you’ve been dealing with ongoing tension like the world as a whole has been since the pandemic started. With the holiday season upon us, I’d like to challenge you to take a step back and try to think of where you could fit some rest in before the end of the year.

If you’re on the fence about taking extra time to rest, take a moment to consider the following benefits of resting– it actually can move the needle on your business more than bunkering down and pushing through:

1. Resting is good for your productivity. Seriously, have you ever felt like you just hit a wall in the middle of your day? You likely need a break from your work. The human brain is said to only be meant to work “full-speed” for up to 3 hours at a time, yet most people work 8 hour days. What’s up with that?
2. Resting is good for your brain. Physically speaking, resting your brain is actually good for your brain cells. Your brain isn’t “doing nothing” when you take a moment to rest, it instead takes that time to focus on other things, like that funny family memory from high school.
3. Resting is good for your creativity. Taking time away from your work will allow you to recharge and come back with a fresh set of eyes and new ideas that you wouldn’t have gotten if you kept hammering away day in and day out.
4. Most importantly, resting is good for your health. Sure, slowing down and resting for a bit can help lower your blood pressure and help you get more sleep, but I’m not just talking about your physical health. Stepping away from your work or other life stressors and resting is great for your mental health. Even if you are lucky enough to completely love what you do for work, stepping away and seeing something besides your screen and spending time with your friends and family is key to staying well.

There isn’t much to lose when it comes to rest. By the time you come back to your work, you are going to be a productivity machine with a clear mind, an abundance of creative juices flowing, at the peak of your mental and physical well-being. That sounds like the entrepreneurial genius you need to be to hit 2021 running!

So grab a pen and some paper and start dreaming. What does taking time to rest look like for you? What gaps in your calendar could you use to rest? How are you going to get there from here?