Rest Is Like Sex

Everyone Basically Knows How To Do It, But With A Little Work And Understanding, You Can Learn To Do It A Lot Better. Silicon Valley strategist Alex Soojung-Kim Pang’s new book argues that quality resting is an acquired skill most of us need to fine-tune. Ellie Packer investigates…

- Ellie Packer

In our plugged-in world, timeout is undoubtedly something we need more of; we’ve leaned in so far that we’ve forgotten how to lean back out again. A recent Safe Work Australia report estimates that burnout and other work-related mental stress costs our economy $3.1 billion a year. It’s the second costliest form of workplace injury in the country. What’s more, the time away from work and compensation paid for mental stress claims are significantly higher compared to all other workplace injury compensation claims. We’re overexerting ourselves, and it’s having the opposite effect than what we intended. It’s as though the very notion of rest has disappeared – an evolutionary glitch that sees today’s generation hardwired to live without it.

According to Dr Tim Sharp of The Happiness Institute, rest constitutes “any activity – or inactivity – that fosters relaxation, recuperation and ] re-energisation”. It’s a simple concept, but one that’s vital for our wellbeing – and success. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, author of Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, argues that rest makes us more efficient when we do work, and if we begin to reframe our approach and understanding of rest, we’ll thrive both on and off the clock. According to him, rest “gives meaning to life”. So what constitutes the kind of “rest” Pang says we’re failing at?