“Rest and be thankful.” —William Wordsworth
Rest can do miracles in your life. It can improve memory function, increase attention span, integrate learning, spark creativity, and make better decisions.
But despite these facts, we expand our working time. We need a 24-hour news cycle, and advertisers relentlessly pursuing our attention, information enters our sphere of senses at an alarming rate. And it does not appear to be slowing down any time soon.
Much of the research will confirm the importance of creating extra space each day. Creating even 10-15 minute windows of rest for our minds to experience downtime will result in both personal and productivity advantages.
Consider then, these Simple Strategies to Create Extra Space Each Day.
1. Nap. According to some studies, our minds may be hardwired to shift between sleep and waking more than once a day, even dating back thousands of years we find evidence of society embracing an afternoon nap. And if you think you need to find 30-60 minutes to find this space, you may be overthinking it.
Even a 10-minute nap sitting upright in a chair immediately enhances performance— and does not result fatiigueness of a long nap.
2. Wake 15 Minutes Earlier. Many of our days begin with hurry. We wake with just enough time on the clock to get ready, quickly eat breakfast, and catch the next bus in time. Or we wake and are immediately placed into the throes of life trying to get kids, spouses, and ourselves ready for the day. Meanwhile, the full brunt of the day has yet to even begin.
Find some extra space by waking on your own terms, even for just 15 minutes. You will find peace and calm there. And for the next 23 hours, you’ll be glad you did.
3. Get Outdoors. You should go outings even for a short walk. Understand the value of the outdoors during evenings and weekends. But additionally, spending short bursts of time outdoors over lunch breaks or afternoon breaks can provide downtime for our minds. Fresh air affects our senses in important ways.
4. Do not be over Iformated. Much of our downtime is being wasted and traded for the intake of even more information. The average person now watches 34 hours of television each week. We watch television for relaxation. But being over informated with unwanted things, we may fall into more worries.
5. Take a longer lunch. If possible practice a long lunch routine. While some do not, many of your workplaces do indeed allow for longer lunch breaks—yet we often trade them simply to feel important or get more done.
6. Enjoy afternoon Tea. Along with some health benefits, afternoon tea relaxes our minds, replenishes our spirits, and nurtures our souls.
7. Meditation. Meditation benefits the soul. It nourishes our minds, our pursuits, and our passions on those things most important to our well-being.