Why rest is the ultimate productivity hack

Sluggish thoughts, misplaced keys, and emails reread three times before they make sense. We’ve all been there, thinking we're on top of things, while our minds and bodies are begging, “Stop. Sleep. Breathe. Just for a second.” 

But we don’t. We push through. Because we’ve been told that productivity is about doing, about grinding, about squeezing time until it drips out something useful. Except science says otherwise. 

Rest prevents burnout 

Beyond a good night’s sleep, intentional rest has profound impacts on our mental and physical health, helping us reset and recharge. 

Study after study backs up what our bodies already know: rest enhances cognitive function, problem-solving, and decision-making and is the ultimate productivity hack. To back this, research from Stanford found that sleep-deprived workers are substantially less productive than their well-rested counterparts, and that just one night of inadequate sleep can lead to decreased performance for up to three days.   

Rest boosts creativity 

Many breakthrough ideas come when the mind is relaxed. Einstein famously slept like a cat, enjoying a solid 10 hours a night and taking regular daytime naps. And Da Vinci took short sleeps every four hours between bursts of creation. They weren’t slacking. They were priming their minds for genius. 

And while I’m not suggesting that everyone is an Einstein in the making, it is impacting our own untapped brilliance. You know, like how an idea floats to the surface after a long shower or how clarity arrives not in a frenzy of typing but in the quiet moments before sleep, when our thoughts are allowed room to move. And even in how our well-rested selves can accomplish in an hour what our exhausted ones struggle to do in three. 

Yet still, here we are, idolising busyness like a badge of honour, stuffing our calendars and glorifying the grind, as if exhaustion is proof of our worth. Spoiler alert. It’s not! 

Tips to incorporate rest into your life 

Beyond sleep, active rest, such as taking a walk, a yoga session or retreat, meditation, or simply enjoying a quiet massage can stimulate creativity and mental clarity. This kind of rest not only helps your mind recharge but also keep you physically energised. 

Try the Pomodoro Technique, a well-documented productivity method that encourages 25-minute focused work sessions followed by five-minute breaks, leveraging rest for sustained performance. Even taking small breaks improves focus and output, because working longer hours without rest doesn’t equate to greater achievement, only diminished returns.  

Maybe the trick isn’t to work harder but to rest better. That might mean putting down the phone to avoid checking emails late at night. Create a cut-off time for work so your body and mind can wind down properly before bed. Just a few minutes of deep breathing can lower stress and clear your mind. Take a few moments throughout your day to pause, breathe, and ground yourself. Plan moments in your day where you can rest. It could be a walk after lunch, a nap in the afternoon, or an hour of quiet time in the evening.  

Because the most powerful life hack we can do for our productivity, our sanity, and our best ideas isn’t pulling another all-nighter. It’s simply to stop.