Rest is not weakness

As a natural workaholic, I enjoy working hard. When I was in university, take part of internships, take positions in extracurriculars and public organizations, read, tinker, exercise, socialize, date and write blogs like these. Other than some tutorials and exams I need to attend (I mostly skip lectures), I have full control of my time. I plan my week diligently and make sure I do I said what I was going to do. I did well in school, and I was in involved in many internships, social groups and volunteer stint. It was a colorful and energizing time for me. People are fascinated by how much I accomplished in university, and I was proud it.

When I started to work full-time, I become even more hardworking than ever before. The main job is already demanding itself, where I had to work 12 hours everyday. I still squeeze whatever time I have, whether is to read a new book, read new documents, reflect on my mistakes at work, or take an online course in the evening. One time, the company opened a online talk on tips to mitigate stress and avoid burnout. I secretly laughed at people who joined those courses. I thought that was for people who couldn’t handle intensity — people who were, frankly, weaker than me.

3 months in, I found myself experiencing mental slipups. I forget important meetings, and become less sharp when solving problems at work. When I talk to my peers and superiors, I look dumb, slow and in a bad mood, and it hurt my confidence. Not only that I lost the mental sharpness, I also became skinner, physical weaker, and more anxious and negative. People become less interested to engage with me.

What I learnt is that my health, my sleep, my social time is essential to your high performance. They are not negotiables because as I learnt, they are the bedrock of your productivity. If you want to produce high output every single day, you cannot burn the midnight oil 3 days straight. This is no school anyone where you can cram your exam preparation one week before. In work, the test comes everyday, not every week. You are expected to show up and to do quality work everyday.

My new emphasis on rest helped to sense when I should take a breather. For example, when I am mentally tapped out, I normally feel my brain is physically sore, and my taste buds are bland. I remember that in the past, I kept pushing even though I had the same feeling. It is that moment that I realized that for so long, I have bypass exhaustion signals from my body and I didn’t know when to stop. Now, I know that is wrong. When the same exhaust signals appear again, I would take a walk, talk to people, or have a meal while zoning out. I also commit to swim twice a week.

I also learnt to set boundaries between work and rest. While it is important to do good work, work never ends. Your boss will assign you to more things if you are competent. Set clear boundaries politely so you can tend activities and interest outside of work.