Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less

39. Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


As the subtitle says it is a book more of why than how. He does get into the how but mainly by way of historical examples of people who were highly productive and prioritized rest. Most of the examples are men of privilege who died over a hundred years ago, so your mileage will likely vary. (Even the writer who had a full time job at a post office still had the means to pay a servant to wake him up at 5 every morning with a cup of coffee prepared.)

There is a chapter on napping to increase productivity but in the examples that suggest a 1.5 hour nap, those seem designed to double the work day instead of decrease it. Also, every book on sleep science I've read says naps should be kept to 30 minutes at most to avoid screwing up your nighttime sleep.

So I appreciate the message and the scientific studies he references and will endeavor to prioritize rest more, but you sort of have to pick and choose which methods will work for you as there are a number of contradictions.


10 years ago on TTaT: Hiccups and epistaxis