Challenges
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Quick Win
Slow your roll — and the pace of modern life — with built-in downtime. It can counteract information overload and help you manage stress.
Try This Today
- Schedule it. Looking at your weekly calendar, identify a 15- to 20-minute block of time each day. It can be the same time every day or can vary as needed.
- Clear the decks. Shut your laptop, turn off your phone’s ringer and notifications, and put away your calendar and to-do list (even your mental one).
- Remember the three Rs: relaxation, reflection and renewal. Use your block of time to daydream, work on a puzzle, write in a journal, listen to music you enjoy or go for a leisurely stroll — anything that lets your mind relax.
Why
Unstructured time may feel unproductive, and that’s the point. Mental downtime is good for you, helping to ease stress and support well-being. Among 909 Finnish teachers, average age 51, relaxing and mentally detaching from work during nonwork hours was linked to higher well-being, according to a 2019 report in the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. When practicing new skills, periods of rest can also help you remember and consolidate what you learned, according to a study of 25 young adults published in 2019 in Current Biology.
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