Rest.

I had the pleasure of listening to Mary DeMuth speak at the WTP conference. She’s a fabulous speaker! (I’ve never actually read her books…I don’t like serious/dramatic stories and I don’t have kids, so I haven’t picked any of them up yet).

In one of her classes she talked about getting rest. I was so into the session that I forgot to take notes! But I remember this specific point, and I want to share that with you.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, someone did a study. They followed the life of a man (let’s call him a car salesman). They watched how he worked – constantly and somewhat productively. Then they made him start taking breaks. His productivity actually increased! (I wish I had the specific details for you – sorry! Maybe Mary will read this and she can fill in the holes.)

Anyway, Mary went on to stress this point: we NEED to rest. We are all busy: full-time jobs, kids, commitments. Add to the mix our passion for writing and it would be easy to work all day and never take a break. While that may sound like a good idea (working 6-8 straight through the day equals fourteens hours of good work, right?), it isn’t. We get over worked. We get tired. If you’re like me, that means you start over-eating and get crabby, too. And when that happens to me, writing is no longer a joy. It’s suddenly another obligation taking up more of my time. Sigh.

Say it with me folks: Take a Break.

It doesn’t have to be much, but we need to make time for it. Especially if you work at home! At least at the office you can step away for 30 minutes for a lunch. I usually eat in the kitchen over the stove while the food is still in the pot (why dirty a dish?). But what would happen if I scheduled a 30 minute lunch for myself? I’m not talking about the cooking part here. I mean taking 30 minutes to myself to sit down with my food, grab my Bible or turn on some worship music, and just relaxing with God. I need to do that more often.

Let’s not forget: even God rested. He doesn’t need us to run the world – He had the under control before we got here, and I’m sure He’ll handle it once we’re gone. It’s acceptable (and most likely expected) that we take some time here and there to rest throughout the day.

So that’s my challenge for the week: to take some time every day to rest (rest = not working, be it writing, cleaning, cooking, or exercising). I’m gonna be realistic here (I could work all day without stopping): I’m going to stop twice tomorrow for at least 15 minutes (and I WILL set a timer!) to rest. I don’t know yet what that will look like, but I’m gonna do it.

What about you? Do you take time in your day to rest? If not, will you try?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! I’ll see you Wednesday (I have jury duty Tuesday). Have a great week!