Rest: Rethinking Productivity

😴 Rest

The topic of rest seems to be everywhere lately. It’s in my email inbox, in headlines around the internet, in various social media feeds, etc.

Or maybe it’s just me and the universe is sending me a sign.

Rest, Rachel! 📣

Either way, the topic of rest and rethinking productivity is worth discussing because it is relevant to busy moms everywhere.

This is particularly true in the current season as documented by mom, author, and podcaster, Kendra Adachi in her book The Lazy Genius Way…

“fall has a secret underbelly of stress. Everything starts shouting for your attention, and suddenly you’re neck deep in the urgent once again.”

☠️ Are you a Momming Workaholic… a Mamaholic?

Moms are busy by nature but is this season overworking you?

Toxic productivity is the new-fashioned version of a workaholic, and moms are the poster children for it. Though, not by choice, of course.

Defined by FutureLean, “Toxic productivity is essentially the drive to be productive at all times, at the expense of all other pursuits.”

We mom from the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep; if we fall asleep (there’s still so much to think about!) And we often do it “at the expense of all other pursuits.”

Such pursuits include – though are not limited to – taking care of ourselves, making and maintaining meaningful relationships with other adult humans, and, last but not least, REST!

So, how can we use rest to rethink productivity?

💡 Try this productivity tool

We shared this checklist last week, and I brought it back again this week because – spoiler alert – one of the four routines on the checklist is a self-care routine (a.k.a. taking care of YOU).

Now, we know that the very term ‘self-care’ gets an eye roll from time to time, but that’s because our minds tend to go to bon-bons and bubble baths.

If that’s not your idea of self-care, name what is. Is it rest? Should it be? Apparently it should be for me (thank you very much, Universe.)

The important thing is that you make space for this routine EVERY day; even if you give it just 10 minutes a day.

🤓 Here’s what the experts have to say…

“Rest itself is such a needed thing for all of us. After all, a Lazy Genius principle is to schedule rest, mostly because we just let it happen and it never does. But I have also been paying a lot of attention to the different kinds of rest and why certain kinds don’t always land for us. Or why we take the time to rest but still feel unfilled after.” – Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius Podcast

This quote comes from the podcast episode, The Seven Kinds of Rest and How to Know Which One You Need.

My big ah-ha in the episode was the awareness that different situations require different versions of rest. 🤯

This week’s featured podcast episode is…

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The overarching theme is how working less actually helps us accomplish more. Again: 🤯

🦸🏻‍♀️Mom tip: I listened with my 15-year-old. It helped us initiate a really productive conversation. But, don’t skip it because you don’t have teenagers. This one is a good listen for all ages.

👩🏽‍💻 The Grace Lab

Join the BIZI Mom Pod Squad on Fridays at 2pm ET in The Grace Lab on Zoom.

The Grace Lab is where we host our weekly community call for moms – a.k.a., the BIZI Mom Pod Squad.

It’s like a book club except instead of reading an entire book, you simply have to listen to a single podcast episode.

Use it as an excuse to grab your headphones and listen while you go for a walk or tackle something you’ve been avoiding (like cleaning out your car… just me?).

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🎧 The Podcast Playlist for Busy Moms

Listen to our September playlist.​ Remember to 💚 it to save it to your Spotify library. Chip away at it while you sip your coffee, drive, walk, exercise, organize, fold laundry, cook, clean, etc.!

Or while you rethink productivity and rest!

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_{At Grace in the Race, our mission is to provide moms with tools and resources to take back their time and energy.}