Read: Rest

I loved this book from Alex Soojung-Kim Pang.

Yes, the back fifth of the book is a notes section which references the work, lives and examples of other folks. So the book fits a certain look, design and feel of what I would call a modern “self-help” book but it’s not really. First of all, the examples the author uses to illustrate his points are all of my favorite people in history, or at least some of my favorite people.(There are so many.) Sometimes when I read books like this I think they were done simply to get a book under the belt of the author who really isn’t an author. This is NOT the case with this book. AS-KP makes his points, backs them up with science and then applies a layer of real-world historical figures who live as evidence.

The gist of this book is the idea that rest is equal in importance to work. There are many kinds of rest, and the book covers them all. Walking, napping, stopping and sleeping to name a few. But here’s ultimately why this book makes sense for you. “Rest,” is about how all these things contribute to being creative. Not just the IDEAS behind this philosophy but the neuroscience as well.

The book is a great blend of science mixed with real life examples of remarkable people who lived under the belief that what they did when they were “resting” was equally important as what they did for “work.” After being around the tech/photography/Instagram world for the last seven years I can say without question I’m not a fan of the frenetic, connected, sleepless lifestyle that seems to be pervasive these days. Oh, and for those of you who are living this way, it doesn’t work. The numbers are there to prove it. Imagine twenty hours a week of actual focused work as opposed to eighty hours of chaos…..

Working smart, focus, routine, exercise, deep study, etc. All these things are connected and work to make you a better, more creative person, not someone who brags about how little sleep they get, or how many countries they visited in the last six months.

I will read this book again.