Getting My Life in Order: Part 3, Rest is the New Hustle

I once saw this quote on a lock screen graphic and I instantly fell in love. We often equate success with a lack of rest and hustling with the only way to live. Instead it leaves us tired, burnt out, and cranky. What if we began to work smarter, not harder, and found a way to rest in between. 

Now you have to realize this may mean letting those dishes sit a little bit in the sink or having the laundry pile up for one more day, or even not getting your inbox cleaned out at the end of the day, but isn't our sanity worth it? 

Did you know that by resting our brains at night it allows our brain to properly store all the information we've absorbed throughout the day? That's right. So all those late nights you pulled in college cramming for an exam might have actually been better spent sleeping. That way your brain has a chance to file away the information and you are rested and ready to go. 

So what does rest have to do with organizing and getting things done? A lot. The more you rest the more joyful you feel and the more energy you have to...work smarter, not harder! 

That said, below I've outlined how I choose to rest. While this schedule is VERY tailored to life in Africa you can still apply the principles in your life. 

1. REST EVERYDAY

Find a way to incorporate rest into your daily routine. This can happen a number of ways: exercise, quiet time, or naps (my favorite). The culture I currently live in is a nap culture. From 2-4 business close and people sleep, and I mean sleep. They sleep on the street, under a tree, in their car on the side of the road...wherever they are. And this has been a lifesaver for me. Because the weather is harsh here I find myself so tired from the simplest of tasks. Getting to have a couple hours where I can't do anything lets my body gain strength for the afternoon and evening activities. And it also is why I tend to stay up till midnight working...not sure if that's a good thing yet.

2. REST WEEKLY

Every week you should find a day where you do nothing buy play. Maybe it's binge watching Netflix or cooking a gourmet meal at home. Maybe it's eating out and letting someone else cook the gourmet meal. Whatever it is, make it happen! And if it's not feasible to take a whole day for fun, then at least try and take a meal or an evening to do something. We usually do one of two things—stay in our pjs all day and cook really good meals or adventure to the mall and get some free a/c. Other things we might do on a weekend are catching up on movies and tv shows, cooking brunch, splurge and have a little sugar, or take a bath instead of a shower.

3. REST MONTHLY

Every month we take a day to do something fun. While the weekends are for "fun" like Netflix chilling and brunch having, one day a month we do something out of the ordinary. We may visit the pool at the really nice hotel or drive 45 minutes out of town for the only nice playground in the country or even eat out at fancy restaurant. These are the things good for our souls, and we know our budget allows them to only happen once or twice a month so we do it! Other ideas (not applicable in my location) might be to visit a museum, drive to a nature center, or go to the movies. 

4. REST YEARLY

This one is your vacation people, or family trip. Whatever you call it. Find a place, save up, and go! It doesn't even have to be far. Maybe it's a staycation at hotel or maybe it's a trip with the extended fam in Colorado. But plan for it, save for it, and do whatever it takes to make it happen. I cannot tell you how many yearly vacations have refreshed me and given me the energy to keep going, especially in really hard seasons. And if money is tight, just remember you have a whole year to save. Try staying out of town at a friend's house or looking at an Air BnB so you can cook your own meals. There are always ways to travel cheap, you just have to be willing to plan ahead.

So that's my advice for finding ways to rest and recharge your soul. What are some of your ways or things that give you rest? Leave a comment below so we can add them to the list!

The Labor of Rest

As most of you may know the hubby and I work for a humanitarian organization. As humanitarians we’ve had the privilege of traveling a lot and seeing a lot…both good and bad.

So it’s easy for us to understand our company’s new mission: to reach the toughest places on earth. Because we’ve been to these toughest places—back roads in Africa, treacherous mountains in Central America, and far away villages in Central America.

But for people like Reed and I sometimes our “toughest” places look different. You see, when Reed and I are stuck in a mudslide, flying a small plane to a remote village, or just experiencing a new culture for the first time we are in our element—we come alive! We get that feeling that overtakes you when you think to yourself, “This is what God created me for!” It’s us at our best…

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But what most people don’t know is that we only spend about 10% of our time on the field or “at our best.” The other 90% of the time we must work diligently from behind a cubicle, tracking shipments, designing banners, answering emails, writing reports and so on. And as I think about what the majority of our time as a humanitarian worker looks like I realize that sitting behind the cubicle is our “toughest place.”

And for now that’s okay, because it’s the path God has us on. But there is something you must watch out for when you sit inside the cube world—schedules. As Americans we are taught to obey schedules and of course if you can get ahead of the schedule, well, you’re a better man than most.

Seem ironic, because if you’ve ever visited another country you know that there are very few places that hold schedules to such a high standard as us Americans. Living in South America for a couple years taught me the Latino Time Table, which I’m a big fan of since I was no longer late to anything!

So what do we do with our entrapment to schedules? Well if you’re me, you forget about it and make it happen. You stay late at work, sacrifice your social life, and ultimately your health.

Lately I’ve realized just how much pressure I’ve been putting on myself to stick to my schedule and deadlines. But this week it came to a head.

I’ve been battling stomach problems my whole life, but in the past 6 month they’ve finally irritated me enough to see a doctor. So while I continue to fight the daily routine of pain and fatigue and figuring out the 5 things I can eat that won’t hurt me, I somehow started to come down with sore throat. “No big deal,” I thought. “It will go away,” I said...Ugh, 12 hours later and I’m still pining away for my hot water and lemon essential oils.

Then I realized something. If I won’t stop my schedule God will.

No, I don’t have cancer or need brain surgery as some of my friends are actually facing today, but I do need rest. And not just the kind I get at night. I need time away from work, a chance for my body to heal, and an opportunity to sit still and hear from the Lord.

But it’s hard. When I know I have friends facing more significant health battles than me, I don’t want to acknowledge that I’m weak or need prayer. I don’t want to tell people about my struggles after hearing about co-workers who may not be with us in a couple of months. But that’s selfish. If we do not share our burdens with others then we are depriving them of their chance to intercede on our behalf. And we are also telling God that we can handle this without him.

So I stand convicted and ask for forgiveness. The Lord has my attention as I’m forced to lay on the couch and stop working. So let’s share in each other burdens no matter how big or small. Feel free to email me or leave a comment in ways we can encourage and pray for each other.

I leave you with a segment from The Balanced Wife blog:

“I'm afraid of what will happen if I take my foot off the gas or stop trying to squeeze the most productivity out of the day- it already feels like I'm always behind, and that feels heavy. But He is our respite. Spending time with him will teach me to live freely and lightly. What I know and hold to today is that when my labor on earth is done, I want to have spent more time worshipping my Father than my schedule.”