3 Lessons on Rest from the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs
Level-up your work-life thanks to some of the best brains in business
Being an entrepreneur is hard work. If you're not careful, it can easily take over every minute of your life and make switching off nigh-on impossible.
This short article is designed to give you an insight into some of the greatest entrepreneurial minds of today, showing you that they prioritize rest to continue to perform at their best.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur just starting out or have been in the game for a while, it's important to prioritize guilt-free time for rest and relaxation in your schedule. This is crucial for building your business for the long term and minimizing the risk of burnout.
Since scheduling rest into my calendar, not only has the quality of my work increased, but the quality of my life has followed a similar trajectory.
I trust it will do the same for you.
Let's dive in.
Bill Gates (Microsoft) - Take a 'Think Week'
The Microsoft founder sets aside large chunks of time in his schedule simply for reflection. He refers to these periods as Think Weeks, where he'll spend up to seven days away from the business, reading, strategizing and reflecting. Today, Gates credits those weeks with generating some of Microsoft's top innovations. As a result, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Mike Karnjanaprakorn (Skillshare) have been said to be following his lead. That’s a pretty strong roster to follow.
Evan Williams (Medium) - Play To Your Focus
“Take the middle of the day off” is the Medium founder's philosophy. Evan has been cited as saying that by breaking up his day with anything from a workout to errands, he maximises his focus. "My focus is usually great first thing in the morning, so going to the gym first is a trade-off of very productive time. Instead, I’ve started going mid-morning or late afternoon." He’s mastered the art of listening to his mind and body. Something we can often neglect.
Tim Ferris (Author & Investor) - Prioritize Enough Sleep
As the pioneer of the 4-hour series, you'd expect American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferris to practice what he preaches. Via his podcast, he's been fortunate enough to gain insight into some of the sharpest minds in the world. Tim said, “Looking at the 200+ world-class performers I’ve interviewed…many of them get 8–10 hours of sleep every night. I like to get 8–9.5 hours per night or 7.5 hours and then a 90-minute nap around 3 pm".
There’s no coincidence here. Sleep is a key determinant of reaching and remaining at your best and is our ultimate cheat code for peak performance day in, day out.
Takeaway
Rest is an essential part of our schedules that should never be viewed as unproductive or wasted time. Taking a break is crucial for increasing productivity and achieving better results when we return to work.
It's time to shift our perspective and see rest as a deliberate and intentional action that will ultimately help us reach our long-term goals.
I encourage you to prioritize rest and make it a regular part of your routine. After all, if it's good enough for Bill, Evan and Tim, it should be good enough for us.
Happy resting 😌
Jack
Quick Question: Do you schedule rest into your routine? If so, how? Let me know in the comments section below.