What ancient traditions, French and Soviet revolutionaries, modern-day psychology, and a Minnesota punk band can teach you about work, burnout, and rest.
I think we misconstrue the concept of "rest," and it starts from an early age, because when you get sick, your Mom says you need rest--and chicken soup--and you'll be right as rain. And she was right about that.
But I think "rest", in the everyday 'stay grounded and keep yourself sane' sense, is more about stillness and presence and joy than it is about sleeping, necessarily. ...I think you are right, Colin, that rest becomes the need for sleep or putting down the work in favor of time on the couch because we tend to push ourselves too hard for too long (I know I have been guilty of this) and it's all we have anything left for.
I also agree that burnout and procrastination are likely close cousins--and that material on the 2013 study was super interesting (I definitely recognized myself in the information).
But in the end, as the boys of Banner Pilot can surely attest to, trading time of grinding--or putting off what we could do today because of anxiety or exhaustion--for time of pursuing passions and things that bring us joy (and therefore refill us) are what all that grinding is for in the first place.
Hi Stacy Lynn! So glad you liked the post. And thank you for such a thoughtful comment!
I’m not always good at either! But I agree with you it’s important to find stillness and peace during the middle of the day too.
I think you’re spot on about the daily grind. It’s easy to get pulled into chasing goals we don’t even really want. That leads to a sort of existential exhaustion that’s worse than just being tired.
Take a break before you break. - is such important but underrated advice!!
I feel that the ‘maxxing and optimizing’ culture villainized rest so much that you feel guilty for not being “productive” for even 15 minutes, which just leads to the pitiful state of burnout you have so well described in your post.
And I absolutely agree that procrastination and burnout are cousins. This is something I feel so strongly - the nagging anxiety that prevents me from doing things I should be doing, turning into guilt when I’m trying to rest and recharge. Breaking that loop was the hardest, but most worthwhile thing I’m actively working on.
Hey Elena! Glad you liked the essay. I totally get that feeling. I’m one of those people who often feels super guilty for resting.
Do you have any tips for breaking that feeling? I think for me committing to having fun has helped, so that I don’t just say “I’m going to skip this fun thing so I can work.” Whenever I do that, I often end up wasting time anyway.
For me it’s probably a mix of commitment i.e. having a slot on the calendar with a cut-off time for when I’m ending work today to « have fun », plus the mental negotiation with myself saying that it’s ok to slack today for reasons X, Y, Z and do the thing on this time instead.
How much of this do you think stems from the human tendency to resist change? Many would rather sit in familiar misery than step into uncertain relief.
That’s a good point. I think that’s a big part of it.
Chris Williamson talks about the Region B Paradox. This is when you want to get from point A to point B.
If point A is your house and point B is a cafe you like, you’re better off it it’s further away.
If it’s 1 mile away, you might walk there in 15 minutes. But if it’s 2 miles away, you’ll probably decide it’s too far to walk, and you’ll drive there in less than 5 minutes.
So you’re better off if it’s further away.
His point was that sometimes you’re better off if life gets so intolerable that you make a drastic change. Otherwise you get stuck in something that’s bad, but not so bad that you do anything about it.
I think essentially this is how people feel when they hit “rock bottom.” Until you get to that point, you might just stay miserable for a long time.
a reliable employee can accidentally make a broken operation look viable. They catch the mistakes, cover the gaps and finish things at home, so management sees the work getting done and assumes the resources are adequate. Eventually their exhaustion gets treated as an individual problem, even though the business has been depending on it.
For a manager, “What would stop getting done if everyone worked their actual hours?” is a fairly uncomfortable question. It’s also a better starting point than another reminder to practise self-care.
That’s a really good point, Jenny! Yeah I’ve seen a lot of managers not understand exactly what’s going on with their employees, including who’s working hard, who’s overworked, and who’s ready to quit.
That seems like a really good question for managers to ask.
the intervention framing is interesting because it implies someone has to care enough to intervene — yourself or someone else. most people don't reach that threshold until the cost is obvious enough to see externally. the internal cost compounds quietly for a long time first.
Really good points, Jimmy! It’s pretty tough sometimes. I agree that often problems go unnoticed or ignored. Then once they see big enough ti see, it can be a lot to deal with.
God has been consistently telling me to “slow down.” I’m finally starting to listen and trust that maybe he’s a better boss of my life than I am. Thanks for affirming, Colin!
Glad it resonated with you, Bob! I’m having a hard time telling what I’m supposed to be doing right now. I get the sense that for me, I’m supposed to speed up right now. But I do think I need to get better at finding balance while I do, so I don’t get burned out.
Hey Colin, very good stuff. I really enjoyed it all the way. No skipping, no early exit!
Balance is key and you explained it perfectly.
Oh, and this was my favorite section. I like that humor!
Wow. Turns out Gen Z didn’t invent “quiet quitting.” Those pesky young people.
Really glad you liked it, Jonas! And I’m glad the humor worked well. My sense of humor is kind of random so I’m not always sure if it will work!
I think we misconstrue the concept of "rest," and it starts from an early age, because when you get sick, your Mom says you need rest--and chicken soup--and you'll be right as rain. And she was right about that.
But I think "rest", in the everyday 'stay grounded and keep yourself sane' sense, is more about stillness and presence and joy than it is about sleeping, necessarily. ...I think you are right, Colin, that rest becomes the need for sleep or putting down the work in favor of time on the couch because we tend to push ourselves too hard for too long (I know I have been guilty of this) and it's all we have anything left for.
I also agree that burnout and procrastination are likely close cousins--and that material on the 2013 study was super interesting (I definitely recognized myself in the information).
But in the end, as the boys of Banner Pilot can surely attest to, trading time of grinding--or putting off what we could do today because of anxiety or exhaustion--for time of pursuing passions and things that bring us joy (and therefore refill us) are what all that grinding is for in the first place.
Great piece!
Hi Stacy Lynn! So glad you liked the post. And thank you for such a thoughtful comment!
I’m not always good at either! But I agree with you it’s important to find stillness and peace during the middle of the day too.
I think you’re spot on about the daily grind. It’s easy to get pulled into chasing goals we don’t even really want. That leads to a sort of existential exhaustion that’s worse than just being tired.
Take a break before you break. - is such important but underrated advice!!
I feel that the ‘maxxing and optimizing’ culture villainized rest so much that you feel guilty for not being “productive” for even 15 minutes, which just leads to the pitiful state of burnout you have so well described in your post.
And I absolutely agree that procrastination and burnout are cousins. This is something I feel so strongly - the nagging anxiety that prevents me from doing things I should be doing, turning into guilt when I’m trying to rest and recharge. Breaking that loop was the hardest, but most worthwhile thing I’m actively working on.
Hey Elena! Glad you liked the essay. I totally get that feeling. I’m one of those people who often feels super guilty for resting.
Do you have any tips for breaking that feeling? I think for me committing to having fun has helped, so that I don’t just say “I’m going to skip this fun thing so I can work.” Whenever I do that, I often end up wasting time anyway.
That seems like a good plan!
For me it’s probably a mix of commitment i.e. having a slot on the calendar with a cut-off time for when I’m ending work today to « have fun », plus the mental negotiation with myself saying that it’s ok to slack today for reasons X, Y, Z and do the thing on this time instead.
Business also keeps sus on the surface and in survival mode; when we slow down, we have to think about our purpose and why we are doing!
That’s a good point! I often find when I get super busy, I can’t even always remember what exactly I’m working so hard to achieve.
How much of this do you think stems from the human tendency to resist change? Many would rather sit in familiar misery than step into uncertain relief.
That’s a good point. I think that’s a big part of it.
Chris Williamson talks about the Region B Paradox. This is when you want to get from point A to point B.
If point A is your house and point B is a cafe you like, you’re better off it it’s further away.
If it’s 1 mile away, you might walk there in 15 minutes. But if it’s 2 miles away, you’ll probably decide it’s too far to walk, and you’ll drive there in less than 5 minutes.
So you’re better off if it’s further away.
His point was that sometimes you’re better off if life gets so intolerable that you make a drastic change. Otherwise you get stuck in something that’s bad, but not so bad that you do anything about it.
I think essentially this is how people feel when they hit “rock bottom.” Until you get to that point, you might just stay miserable for a long time.
“Go for the walk” is the voice I’m trying to listen to. Thanks, Colin.
It’s hard to remember sometimes! I wish I were better at it!
a reliable employee can accidentally make a broken operation look viable. They catch the mistakes, cover the gaps and finish things at home, so management sees the work getting done and assumes the resources are adequate. Eventually their exhaustion gets treated as an individual problem, even though the business has been depending on it.
For a manager, “What would stop getting done if everyone worked their actual hours?” is a fairly uncomfortable question. It’s also a better starting point than another reminder to practise self-care.
That’s a really good point, Jenny! Yeah I’ve seen a lot of managers not understand exactly what’s going on with their employees, including who’s working hard, who’s overworked, and who’s ready to quit.
That seems like a really good question for managers to ask.
the intervention framing is interesting because it implies someone has to care enough to intervene — yourself or someone else. most people don't reach that threshold until the cost is obvious enough to see externally. the internal cost compounds quietly for a long time first.
Really good points, Jimmy! It’s pretty tough sometimes. I agree that often problems go unnoticed or ignored. Then once they see big enough ti see, it can be a lot to deal with.
God has been consistently telling me to “slow down.” I’m finally starting to listen and trust that maybe he’s a better boss of my life than I am. Thanks for affirming, Colin!
Glad it resonated with you, Bob! I’m having a hard time telling what I’m supposed to be doing right now. I get the sense that for me, I’m supposed to speed up right now. But I do think I need to get better at finding balance while I do, so I don’t get burned out.