Creating Rest – From the desk of Adam Thomas

Take a second and breathe.

As automatic as our breathing is, it gets much more interesting when we do it with purpose. If you’ve never done it, take a second and try it now.

Steps:

Put your cell phone away
Sit somewhere comfortable
Think about your breath
Put your cell phone away
Take a deep breath.
Exhale
PUT YOUR CELL PHONE AWAY
Do this list (1-7) again.

Do you feel that? Your mind is a little more clear, you feel a little better, and the problems that felt close now gain some distance. You have room to think.

Some of the pressure is gone, and there is a little more room to maneuver. That is the power of purposeful rest, and that is also why I am making purposeful rest the theme for April.

This month’s theme ties into the Big Idea

At the end of last year I wrote a post that resulted in me picking four themes for 2016. They are the guiding light (strategic) for my ideas. Each month on this blog, I break things down into the practical (tactical). This year I want to tie them together, so each month, I have to write the reason they connect.

I’ve gotten to the fourth theme and I am focusing on the “big idea”.

The “big idea” is a theme that ties in several others to create a meta idea, or an idea that is powerful enough to effect other ideas. Think of it as a foundation. So, the “big idea” is anything that builds on the assumptions I gained over the last few months.

Reread candidate

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
by John Medina – Rest and recovery are a part of a larger cycle, and it all starts with the brain. This book is a great primer on how it works.

Other candidates

Assumptions

Jan. Assumptions – I need to factor in accountability, calendaring, and experimentation.
Feb. Assumptions – I need to factor in limited willpower.
Mar. Assumptions – I need to factor in the idea of being deliberate and opportunity cost.