Sleep is a time when we recover when our cells map out what happened during the day. There are massive amounts of brain activity that occur when we close our eyes. We provide the foundation for insight and work when we get enough sleep — not the reverse. Proper rest, however, lets our brains and our minds reboot. This might mean that you take a day to binge-watch television, or it might mean that you need to make some more active steps in your rest and recovery:

• Journaling

• Taking time away from your job or work

• Booking a massage or bodywork

• Taking a bath, going for a soak, trying afloat

• Going away for a weekend

• Spending quality time with friends

• Letting the calendar or the agenda go to the wayside

• Saying no when we’d regularly say yes (or vice versa).

When you are working towards a big long-term goal or a goal that requires much work on new things, you may find you need more rest. It feels uncomfortable to do things differently than we’ve done them before. Something might come up that chases us back to our bad habits. Things might come up.

You’re designing a life that takes you where you want to go, that’s steady, that’s consistent, that has a purpose, which has direction. Along the way, you’re cutting back and trimming out anything that doesn’t work for you. You’re experimenting and iterating. And you’ll learn when to push and when to rest.