Crush it? Hustle? Work harder? Rest.

Crush it? Hustle? Work harder? Rest.

Crush it? Hustle? Work harder? Rest.

The answer to being more productive may not be more work. 

It may be rest. 

I know the value of hard work: and I really enjoy it. I love being a business owner and I’m even grateful for finding the line between business and personal to be rather blurry. That’s ok by me. 

There are seasons of life and business where you have to push. Work harder. Stay up late. Put in the extra hours. 

But as a pattern of life, that will not work. 

It will let you down. 

If you don’t take times of rest, your body will make you do it. 

And when that happens, your enforced rest won’t be as pleasant or well organised as it could have been. Instead, it interrupts your plans because you pushed too hard, did too much, didn’t listen, didn’t rest. It’s a penalty, not a reward.

Since today I’m up in the Scottish highlands, to slow down and look around and enjoy beauty and take a break, instead of a longer written post I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on rest via a podcast.

I was asked last week to be the guest on a podcast, as its owner was fascinated by my perspective on rest. 

We talk about….

  • why it’s one of the four PF pillars and why (and how) I encourage my team to rest
  • Why it’s so important to me personally (personal beliefs and an auto immune disorder)
  • Why we resist rest 
  • What we need to face up to when we do, finally, take rest

…and loads more. We packed it into a half hour podcast, so have a listen at the weekend:

Improving profitability with rest: Happy healthy workplace podcast

What I’d love to hear from you today is: 

What do you find challenging about the concept of resting? Was there a time in your life you resisted rest, and had to pay a price? (Are you doing it now?)

P.S. I borrowed the idea for today’s sketchnote from Carl Richards. Matter of fact I also borrowed from him the entire idea of writing a note-with-sketch-every-week. Check out his post on rest, too.

 

I send these tips and sketchnotes out every Saturday! Sign up to get them here.

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ON THE GRAM

Popped into a fave local coffee shop in York this week and this was the mug they gave me. ❤️✨

Wasn’t feeling so superwomanny when I got it - this week was very full, plus period cramps and multiple migraines and my ankle being wonky and more travel than I’ve done in a while. I had intended to get coffee but the cramps were so bad I had to go for mint tea and just sit until they faded enough for me to walk again. 

At the same time, I also had an amazing time during this week with the @weare_pf Board meeting in person for the first time. Getting to know each other better as humans and sharing ideas and making plans and most of all appreciating that the weight of all the business decisions doesn’t rest solely on my shoulders. 

This is just one of your reminders that being a superwoman looks different at different times, and whether you’re striding along strongly or sitting weakly with mint tea, your superwoman status still applies. 

#justkeepgoing #superwoman #muglife #wegotthis #onedayatatime
Every single time I go sailing past this lighthouse on the mull-to-Oban ferry I think “this time I’ll just watch it and not take any pictures” 

And then something wild happens like A SAILBOAT GOES BY and of course I have to capture that, surely I haven’t taken that photo before (spoiler: I have), and then I have about seventeen lighthouse photos to add to my collection of seven thousand lighthouse photos from the last twenty years. 

But, I figure, what’s the harm anyway. It’s my photos and my memories and it brings me joy. I love the lighthouse as a visual of my journey from the mainland to the island (or a reminder I’ll be back soon). 

So, see you soon lighthouse. Thanks for standing there. 

#lismorelighthouse #eileanmusdile #lighthouse #lighthousesofinstagram #oban #ferry #calmac #isleofmull #sailaway #sailboat #scotland #travelscotland
I read. A lot. My list of “books to read” has over 100 titles listed, and every time I mention a book I’ve appreciated, I get another recommendation of a new one and the list gets longer. 

One of the books recommended to me years ago was “The Buddha in Me the Buddha in You”. She mentioned it had some helpful principles about how we navigate life - and whether you’re a buddhist or not, there are principles you can learn from and apply in life.

I wrote it down, forgot about it, and moved on with life. Read lots of other books.

And then when I broke my ankle, and was sitting and resting a LOT, with loads of time for reading, I went back to my list and started reconsidering some of the titles on it.

When I looked up “The Buddha in Me the Buddha in You”, the subtitle was “A Handbook for Happiness”, and that struck me.

Dealing with an injury is difficult. Sad. Wearying. It can be hard to find happiness and every day feels about the same. (Very Groundhog Day.)

So I bought the book, and put it by my bed. I started getting into a pattern of reading a chapter every morning with my coffee.

I thought I’d share some of the principles I appreciated and which are already helping me as I continue to navigate my life right now: 

[the full post on these is too long for an Insta post so click the link in bio or story if u want to read more!]

Thank the spoon - a spoon stirs up the mud in what had appeared to be clear water. Same with life: hard things stir up what you haven’t dealt with yet. So you thank them. “Thank you, spoon”

The Fundamental darkness (FD) - the “Survival Obsessed Self” who responds in a way based on survival but not growth

There’s a gift in the struggle - He describes it visually as “the lotus flower in the muddy pond”. You can focus on the mud, or on the flower, but they’re both there.

Nam - myo - ho - renge - kyo : The happiness soundtrack - I pulled out the core concepts of each of these words as they applied to me, and they are: 

Purpose
Mystery
Potential 
Bloom in the struggle
Flow of life

#karensnotes #buddhainmebuddhainyou #books #reading #happysaturday 

[full note link in bio!]
The snow is swirling the wind is howling IT’S FROZEN OUT THERE 
#snowing #happyspringeveryone #inlikealion