25 Jan 2013
Belle
Don't ever get too busy to rest
I have a small list of books that I constantly return to and re-read. We all do that, right? One of mine is Steven Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People(1). This is basically an undisputed classic when it comes to motivation and self-help books. And for good reason—it gives you proactive ways to adjust your mindset and make positive changes in your life.
This isn’t a book review, though. Go read it if you want to know more. I just want to focus on one of the seven habits. Number seven, in fact: sharpen the saw.
This habit is really about rest. Not rest for relaxation (although that’s a great thing), but rest that helps you to recoup your energy and refocus when it’s time to go full-pelt again.
The theory behind it is this: if you’re so busy sawing down a tree that when your saw gets blunt you don’t stop to sharpen it, it’s going to take you a lot more effort overall to saw the tree down. You’d be better off to take a break, sharpen your saw and start again.
Perhaps an even better analogy: if you’re too busy driving to stop and fill up your tank, you’re going to run out of petrol. Your body’s kind of like that—if you don’t stop to rest, at some point you’ll just run out of energy entirely.
It’s not just your body, of course. This applies to all four “key dimensions of your life”—your body, brain, heart and soul. It’s all about finding the right balance so you can reach your potential in-between rest periods.
Funnily enough, when I reread this section of the book, I find that it’s got the least notes and highlighted passages of any chapter. That’s not because it’s not good—it’s just full of common sense. Getting enough sleep, eating well, appreciating the people around you, feeding your mind with quality information, exercising... it’s all stuff we know, yet we forget to make it part of our lives.
If you haven’t read the book before, I’d highly recommend it. If you have, it’s always worth rereading—I get something new out of it every time.
And when you’re done, pay attention to how you’re implementing the seventh habit. How often are you sharpening your saw? Are you waiting until there’s hardly any saw left to sharpen, or are you making it a priority every time the edge gets a little dull? (If you’re doing that, I applaud you—I doubt I’ll ever be that good at it)
Most importantly, just remember this habit. It’s the one that powers all the others, so make time for it. Go get some rest.
— Belle
(1): Okay, that’s not quite true. I actually read the teens version(2) written by Steven’s son, Sean. I just enjoy the illustrations, okay? The principles are the same! Sheesh.
(2): I told you, I’m reading the teens version. Don’t expect any highfalutin analogies here.