Work and Rest Cycle

Unhealthy Vicious Cycle

Inefficient, ineffective or courage-less work leads to guilt and shame which leads to an inability to experience true rest.

It is hard for me to admit but I go through an unhealthy vicious cycle of work and rest on a daily, weekly and annual basis.

Daily: I started my day by playing around on ESPN.com a little too long. Or perhaps I was focused but I did all of the busy work on my to do list in order to avoid the courageous work that would actually move my work forward. I am aware of this all day so by the end of the day I am feeling guilt and shame leading me to call my wife and say, “I am going to need to stay a little late at the office today.” All of which leads to me starting my day poorly the next day perpetuating the cycle even more.

Weekly: Same story of unproductive work leading to guilt and shame that leads to a Saturday morning conversation about needing to get a little work done this weekend. Or sometimes it means saying yes to a meeting that is not driven by the value my presence would add but instead driven by my guilt about not being as productive as I should be.

Annual: Same story— but now I can’t fully unplug while on vacation leading me to not being recharged when I return.

4 Easy steps to move from this vicious cycle to a virtuous one.

If you are finding it hard to say no, or finding yourself unable to leave unfinished work these are good indicators you need to take these four steps.

Practice sabbath (daily, weekly, annually) out of obedience rather than from ‘earning’ it. Rich Villodas says, “Sabbath is not a reward for hard work. Sabbath is a gift that precedes work and enables us to work.”

Gain an understanding of what appropriate hard work is. We are simultaneously bombarded with warnings to avoid being a workaholic and messages of the benefits of hard work. It takes some reflection in order to determine what appropriate hard work is in each stage of our lives. One way to do this is by observing and asking questions of people whose life you admire.

Audit your work. How many hours are you actually working? How efficiently are you using those hours? Are you doing the right, courageous and effective things that will move your work forward?

Make needed adjustments.

Healthy Virtuous Cycle

When we get true rest we are more likely to do the hard courageous work we are called to do which leads to contentment allowing us to confidently and easily leave unfinished work or say no to opportunities.