A surprising productivity tip
Here’s what I learned by staying in bed for three days
I’ve been running on empty for a while.
The truth is, despite all my talk about taking breaks and building in recovery time, this still happens far too often.
I’m skilled at spotting when others are tired and close to burnout. But I still have a deep-seated belief that I am somehow immune. Or I convince myself that I just need to do one last thing before I allow myself a rest. (And then another thing. And another. Does that sound familiar?)
Then, last week, I had a minor stomach bug that kept me up most of the night. The following morning, I realised that I had no urgent work or appointments. So I went back to sleep, and ended up staying in bed. For three days.
It was wonderful, this bed-based sabbatical.
I slept a lot, ate very little, drank water by the gallon. Slowly, I worked my way through a substantial online course I’d been putting off, making copious notes on my laptop. I caught up on some reading. Listened to a few talks and podcasts.
But mainly there was a lot of staring into space, napping, and luxuriating in that delicious, dozy time between being asleep and fully awake, when your mind…
