Why rest is the secret to success in UX
Rest and relaxation is our birth right, it’s not something you have to earn or you need to justify, it should be the one uncompromisable thing in your day, every day. The physical processing that happens in our bodies during our rest time actually means that resting is the most productive thing you can do, igniting your parasympathetic nervous system and beginning the healing and rejuvenating processes across your whole body.
This is particularly true if you are in a creative role, and something not many of us consider as important and productive in our work day. But take a second to think about how much energy and mental processing goes into a single idea for a digital product — functionality, user journey, information architecture, user needs, interaction, colour, copy, usability, accessibility… (phew I think I need a lie down just after coming up with that list!)
I don’t know a single UX professional who doesn’t come up with at least one new idea a day for the company they work for, and yet most designers, researchers and architects I speak to consider themselves ‘unproductive’ if they haven’t filled their entire day with demonstrative activity. Interaction and UI Designers in particular have pressure to take up every hour of their day mocking up new concepts… but will this really produce your best work? Will you be considering every angle of a user’s experience with your feature if you are also aware of a million other tasks you have to complete? Or will you just be happy to got to the end of the day without collapsing?
Take a time out, and more importantly start treating those time outs as essential parts of your work day the same way you do a to-do list.
Do it now after you finish reading this — I dare you.
Take 15 minutes and have your coffee outdoors — or sit on your sofa and close your eyes for a little nap. If you are particularly hard core and serious about your success, perhaps even open up headspace or your favourite podcast and do a guided meditation.
Your body, your mind, your family, the company you work for right now and your 40 yr old self (who is Creative Director of a major corporation thanks to this secret) will thank you for it.
Close your eyes, slow down, and let the creativity flow.
