Friday Feature: Active Rest

Perhaps it's because I'm on vacation, but I'm finding the topic of balance quite interesting. It's a great topic for summer, though -- a time where relaxation is an implicit part of the plan. We're supposed to relax in the summer. It's allowed.

But why can't we relax the rest of the year? Sure, there are myriad reasons. Work pressure. School pressure. Life in general.

Or are they excuses?

Our brains do a better job of operating efficiently when we give them down time. We take in an enormous amount of information all day every day and our brains need time to process it. Sleep, actually, is one of the times that our brains do just that -- sort through the detritus of the day to determine what matters and what doesn't.

Think you need to keep powering forward? Stop for a moment and think about how much time you spend at work actually working. If you're like most people, it's definitely not the full eight hours. And not because we're slackers. A lighter, more leisurely work day was behind a lot of work we now consider brilliant.

Don't believe me? Check out "Why You Should Slack off to Get Some Work Done." And then take a nap.

You've earned it.

Labor Day Gratitudes

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I bought the best pair of pajamas last Friday. I wasn't looking for pajamas, but someone had stuck this pair on the end of a rack, where they captured my attention immediately. Snapping them up, I put them in my cart and, once home, I quickly determined that they were perfect for chilling out on a Friday evening and keeping me comfy as I worked on writing projects on a rainy Saturday morning.

Sometimes, the fruits of our labor yield things to be grateful for -- small things, like the perfect pair of pajamas -- that may not lead to noble goals like world peace, but nevertheless make our world a little sweeter. Today, I'm taking a moment to share a few of those things that matter to me.

• Colleagues who become friends -- and stay friends even after the job is done.
• Soft, comfy clothes made for kicking back and relaxing.
• New projects that excite us so much that they don't feel like work.
• An unexpected thread of connection to another person -- maybe momentary, or maybe a thread that becomes woven into the tapestry of our lives.
• Opportunities for our children, made possible by the work we've done and, with the occasional shortcut provided by our own life experience.
• Countless things that make us smile -- both little things and luxuries made possible by the routine and rigor of the work we do.

Here's hoping your Labor Day is a day of rest from the work that makes all these things possible, and a chance to enjoy the little things that make your world a little sweeter.