Creative people don't necessarily work longer and harder than other people— but they do work differently. Part of that difference is how they rest.
Beethoven insisted on sleeping from 10-6. Churchill napped for two hours every afternoon. Your brain's creative regions require actual rest. The alternative is burnout and the blues.
But there's another kind of rest that reinvigorates creative people: active rest.
Active rest is a break that strengthens the parts of you that support your creativity: your physical well-being and your heart.
For the physical, it's that hour of pushing through the pool or kicking down your favorite trail. It's whatever energizes your muscles and cardiovascular system and helps restore your physical balance.
For you heart, it's an activity that leaves you feeling curious, optimistic, courageous or full of empathy.
Sometimes it's one and the same—e.g., physical volunteer work, a martial art or, in Washington's case, a style of dance that challenges you and allows you to compete in a gentle way.
Once you make your active rest plan, you can use it to maximize your creativity with this week's prompt.
