Allowing rest is a lesson that I learn over and over.

There is strong programming in me to push through, clear the next hurdle. Just a little bit longer. Just a little bit harder.

While I have benefited from this approach with achievements and various completions of deeds, it is not without its consequences.

I often get sick just as soon as I approach a vacation or complete a big milestone. As a child I got strep throat every year over Christmas break in elementary school and then over Spring break in middle school. I transitioned into the flu and a nasty bout of pneumonia in high school from overworking.

In the working world, I got sick over the precious few vacation days I allowed myself. Or, I would start getting sick, try to push through and then end up needing to take several days off of work once I was too dysfunctional to work any longer.

I have seen this behavior play out and get reinforced time and again. Bosses praising staff for working while sick (even in a hospital). People guzzling any sort of over the counter cold and flu remedy they can get their hands on, just to make it through another day.

The needs of the body get suppressed in favor of responsibilities and deadlines.

But what if you could use rest as a productivity strategy?

One day, I felt myself getting run down or “pre-sick” as I call it. Instead of soldiering through, I called out of work the next day. I felt guilty the whole time. (In the world of healthcare, calling out means your patients don’t get treated and/or your already overworked coworkers carry an extra burden — disastrous for a guilty conscience like mine.)

But nevertheless, I stayed home, slept, hydrated and reduced my mental strain.

And guess what? I was able to return to work the next day and contribute productively. No further days off needed.

I had been through this cycle enough to know that if I had not taken that day off, my attention and energy would have progressively declined over the next 2-3 days as I got sicker and sicker. I would keep pushing, trying to look committed by still showing up to work and probably infecting several people along the way with whatever virus I had. Then eventually I would get sent home by a concerned supervisor or coworker. My symptoms would then escalate at home, requiring at least 3 days off of work before I could return at half capacity.

Now that I’m paying more attention, both to how I’m feeling in the moment and to various metrics I track, I can better determine when it is the right time to work really hard and when it is the right time to rest. And I don’t get sick nearly as often. See Quantifying Stress and Energy Reserves for more info on some of the ways I track health data.

Listening to my body has been such a breakthrough in my capacity for meaningful work. But I can so easily fall back into old patterns of sucking it up and pushing through. See A New Way to Feel Accomplished for tips on how I make listening to my body a priority.

When I strategically allow rest, I often set myself up for a boom of productivity and creativity.

One UK company has taken it a step further by instituting a “period policy,” allowing women to work flexibly in alignment with their menstrual cycle, citing that women are often 3x as productive in the days following their period when rest is allowed.

As we approach Winter, nature is resting around us. The leaves are all but gone. This season is essential for the new growth and expansion that we will see in the Spring.