Change Is As Good As A Rest But A Rest Is A Good Change

I'm writing this fresh from a family holiday in Lanzarote, my calendar already marked for the next break in April. My wife's campaigning for another one before then. These punctuation marks in our family diary represent more than just beach time and pool splashes - they're survival markers in an increasingly intense world.

Survival. That's a word I don't use lightly. A decade ago, I nearly lost everything to burnout and my well-documented challenge with mental ill-health. Teaching had consumed me whole: hundred-hour working weeks, mental health spiralling, alcohol becoming less of a social lubricant and more of a coping mechanism, drinking alongside meds where I shouldn't be (not a great combo). I was trying to please everyone while steadily destroying myself. The irony? I was teaching others while failing to learn the most fundamental lesson about sustainable performance.

Strategic rest isn't just another corporate buzzword or wellness trend. I think it's a critical response to a brutal reality: our current approach to work and performance isn't just unsustainable - it's dangerous. Looking back, my near-collapse wasn't just a personal failure of boundaries; it was a strategic blindspot that almost cost me my career, my health, and my family. The wisdom of structured rest isn't new. Ancient traditions understood something we seem to have forgotten. The monastic hours, dividing days into periods of work and contemplation, weren't just religious practice - they were a sophisticated understanding of human performance rhythms. These medieval monks had cracked something that modern neuroscience is only now validating: our brains operate best in patterns of engagement and release.

The thing is, we're brilliant at planning everything except our rest. We strategise about market entry, digital transformation, curriculum development, and quarterly targets. Yet when it comes to strategic downtime, we treat it as an afterthought - something to fit around the 'real work'. This mindset isn't just flawed; it's fundamentally threatening our capacity for good decision-making and sustainable success.

The Strategy Behind Stopping

Bertrand Russell, that most British of philosophers, argued that our "conception of duty" to constant work actually diminishes our effectiveness. He wasn't suggesting idleness - rather, he saw strategic pause as essential for clear thinking and innovation. Modern business could learn from this insight. The evidence backs him up. British Olympic cycling's transformation didn't just come from better training - it came from better rest. Sir Dave Brailsford's famous "marginal gains" included structured recovery periods that went beyond physical rest. These weren't random breaks; they were strategically timed interventions designed to maintain peak decision-making capability.

This mirrors what medieval monasteries understood centuries ago. Their structured days weren't just about prayer - they were sophisticated performance management systems. By alternating periods of intense focus with deliberate pause, they maintained sustainable productivity over decades. Today's high-performing organisations are rediscovering this rhythm. Formula 1 provides a compelling modern example. Their mandatory factory shutdown periods faced initial resistance - surely stopping would mean falling behind? Yet the data shows these enforced breaks actually accelerate innovation (pun well and truly intended!). Teams return with fresh strategic insights that endless grinding simply doesn't produce. It's likely why the football players' union are fighting hard against the creep across summer and lack of downtime for players.

The psychology is clear: our brains need this oscillation between effort and ease. Cognitive research shows that strategic thinking suffers dramatically under continuous load. We're not designed for constant output. The prefrontal cortex - our strategic planning centre - requires regular periods of genuine rest to maintain peak function.

Another example worth considering here is how Islamic business practices incorporate regular prayer breaks into the working day. These aren't interruptions to productivity - they're strategic reset points that enhance decision-making quality. Similar patterns emerge in Jewish business traditions, where the Sabbath represents more than rest - it's a strategic pause that promotes longer-term thinking.

The Bank of England's decision-making protocols reflect this understanding. Major policy decisions require mandatory "cooling off" periods - not because bankers need a break, but because better strategic decisions emerge when the mind has space to process complexity.

Organisational Rest Architecture

Design matters. Building rest into organisational strategy requires more than just telling people to "take a break." When British Airways restructured their pilot fatigue management system, they discovered something fascinating: the timing of rest mattered more than its duration. This isn't just about safety - it's about maintaining strategic capability when it matters most. The ancient Celtic tradition of "thin times" - periods between seasons dedicated to reflection and renewal - offers a surprisingly relevant model for modern organisations. These weren't randomly chosen dates but strategically placed pauses aligned with natural rhythms of activity. Today's most effective organisations similarly align their rest architecture with their natural business cycles.

So let's consider the contrast between two approaches to organisational rest. The first treats breaks as a safety valve - random release points when pressure builds too high. The second treats them as strategic assets - carefully designed intervals that enhance performance. British Olympic sport's periodisation model exemplifies this second approach, engineering rest periods that serve both physiological and strategic purposes.

The military understands this principle deeply. Their concept of "tactical pause" isn't just about physical recovery. It's a strategic tool that creates space for better decision-making under pressure. As one RAF training manual notes, the ability to stop and assess often determines mission success more than continuous action. I am writing a piece in an upcoming newsletter about OODA loops vs VUCA loops where I will dig into this further.

High-reliability organisations like nuclear power stations and air traffic control centres have developed sophisticated rest architectures not because they can afford to stop, but because they can't afford mistakes. Their shift patterns aren't just about managing fatigue - they're designed to maintain peak cognitive function during critical decisions. The psychological concept of "strategic renewal" provides the theoretical foundation for this approach. Unlike basic recovery, strategic renewal focuses on maintaining optimal cognitive function through planned intervals of rest. This aligns with what philosophers like Bertrand Russell and psychologist William James understood about attention's natural rhythms.

Tech companies, despite their "always on" reputation, are beginning to grasp these principles. Their agile sprints increasingly include what Russell might have recognised as "productive idleness" - structured periods for reflection and strategic thinking between intense development phases.

Strategic Rest as Competitive Advantage

The data tells an interesting story: organisations mastering strategic rest consistently outperform their always-on competitors. This isn't revolutionary - monastic orders have sustained productivity for centuries through structured rhythms of work and contemplation. What's new is our ability to measure the impact.

We have already mentioned British Cycling's transformation through their development of marginal gains and the oft-quote work of Sir Dave Brailsford. Their adoption of periodised rest patterns didn't just prevent burnout - it created sustainable competitive advantage. The results weren't just better recovery; they were better decisions, clearer strategy, and ultimately, more medals. This wasn't about working less - it was about working better. And even more so, they prioritised sleep. They employed innovator, Phil Burt, who developed the “bed in the bag”, or the R90 Sleep System, to give its proper name, which has since been adopted by athletes and teams around the world. They found out that in the 2009 Tour de France, the riders would change hotel and bed 19 times in 21 days and the teams had no say in which hotel they stayed in. So they took matters into their own hands because by his own admission, Burt said:

Sleep is THE most important parameter in recovery and yet it was being left to random chance that we would have a good bed to achieve it on. Phil Burt

This goes even further (and I have become a little obsessed with it since reading Matthew Walker's brilliant book Why We Sleep. Sleep and the science around it seems to be booming at the minute and I am glad to see it. Walker points out rather strikingly,

“After thirty years of intensive research, we can now answer many of the questions posed earlier. The recycle rate of a human being is around sixteen hours. After sixteen hours of being awake, the brain begins to fail. Humans need more than seven hours of sleep each night to maintain cognitive performance. After ten days of just seven hours of sleep, the brain is as dysfunctional as it would be after going without sleep for twenty-four hours. Three full nights of recovery sleep (i.e., more nights than a weekend) are insufficient to restore performance back to normal levels after a week of short sleeping. Finally, the human mind cannot accurately sense how sleep-deprived it is when sleep-deprived.” Matthew Walker

The financial sector learned this lesson the hard way. After 2008, when sleep-deprived traders made catastrophic decisions, many British banks implemented mandatory cooling-off periods before major trades. The psychology behind this is sound: decision quality deteriorates markedly without strategic pause. The philosopher Martin Heidegger called this kind of pause "stepping back" - creating space to see what constant immersion obscures. The NHS offers another perspective. Trusts that have implemented protected thinking time for clinical leaders report reduced critical incidents and better resource allocation. This mirrors what contemplative traditions have long understood: wisdom emerges from stillness, not constant motion.

But here's the crucial point: competitive advantage comes from treating rest as strategy, not indulgence. The ancient Greek concept of 'kairos' - the right moment - applies here. Strategic rest isn't about duration; it's about timing. The most effective organisations don't just stop; they stop strategically. Even tech companies are learning this too. Their notorious "death marches" to project completion often produce inferior results compared to teams using structured sprint-and-rest cycles. This mirrors the natural rhythms that psychologist Carl Jung identified in creative work - periods of intense activity followed by essential integration time.

The competitive edge comes from understanding that strategic rest isn't the opposite of productivity - it's a crucial component of sustained high performance.

The Dark Side of Rest

Not all rest is created equal. There needs to be a way to distinguish between genuine reflection and mere distraction - a difference that matters enormously when designing strategic rest. Scrolling through social media during a break isn't the same as true strategic pause. There's also a troubling equity dimension here. While executives or 'leaders' enjoy "thinking time" and strategic retreats, front-line workers often can't access meaningful rest. Zero-hours contracts and gig economy pressures create what sociologist Guy Standing calls "time poverty" - a strategic disadvantage that compounds existing inequalities.

Some organisations implement rest protocols without understanding their purpose, creating what psychologist Carl Rogers would have recognised as "form without substance." Mandatory breaks become another box to tick rather than genuine opportunities for strategic renewal. A prescribed lunch break or emails off in an evening might sound strategic but practically if the culture isn't established and maintained for rhythm and manageable cadence, the idea of stopping creates ever more anxiety or pressure (I have seen this in my own life if I haven't 'closed things down' when I try to sleep and my mind wanders back to the to-do list on a continuous loop of needing to sleep > needing to finish something > needing to sleep!)

The current economic climate adds another layer of complexity. With rising costs and uncertain markets, many British businesses view strategic rest as an unaffordable luxury. Yet historical evidence suggests otherwise. During the Industrial Revolution, factories that implemented the eight-hour day often outperformed those grinding workers for longer hours. The lesson? Strategic rest isn't a cost - it's an investment. There's also the risk of rest becoming another performance metric. Some organisations now monitor employees' break patterns with the same intensity they track productivity. This misses the point entirely. As Foucault might have noted, turning rest into surveillance defeats its strategic purpose.

The challenge isn't just implementing rest - it's implementing it wisely. Buddhist tradition speaks of "right effort" - knowing not just when to strive but when to cease striving. This wisdom applies equally to organisational strategy. But let's call it out here: the Buddhist tradition here is a lifelong pursuit; it's not a tick-box on an organisational policy.

Implications for the Future

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping work patterns in ways that make strategic rest more crucial, not less. When machines handle routine tasks, human advantage lies in higher-order thinking - precisely the kind of cognitive work that benefits most from strategic pause. Philosopher Nick Bostrom's work on intelligence enhancement from back in 2014 suggests that optimising our natural cognitive rhythms might be as important as artificial augmentation. Although I am not on the same page as everything Bostrom suggests, there are some incredibly important predictions that, if true or even possible, present us with a real challenge.

“A few hundred thousand years ago, in early human (or hominid) prehistory, growth was so slow that it took on the order of one million years for human productive capacity to increase sufficiently to sustain an additional one million individuals living at subsistence level. By 5000 BC, following the Agricultural Revolution, the rate of growth had increased to the point where the same amount of growth took just two centuries. Today, following the Industrial Revolution, the world economy grows on average by that amount every ninety minutes.” Nick Bostrom, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies

Remote work has blurred traditional boundaries between activity and rest. The old factory whistle no longer marks clear transitions (even though our schools still adhere to this bell-ringing automaton tradition). This makes deliberate rest architecture more important, not less. Some British firms are experimenting with new models: scheduled offline periods, digital sabbaticals, and what philosopher Byung-Chul Han calls "deep time" - periods of sustained disconnection from the network.

Moreover, the relentless pace of modern business carries environmental costs. Strategic rest isn't just about human performance - it's about sustainable practices. The ancient Celtic understanding of seasonal rhythms might offer wisdom for our climate-conscious future. As automation accelerates, paradoxically, our most human capabilities become more valuable. Strategic rest enhances exactly these qualities - creativity, insight, complex decision-making. The organisations that thrive won't be those that run their people hardest, but those that best cultivate these uniquely human capacities.

I have been thinking about how we apply this as individuals and organisations. Here is my best shot at trying to come up with some practical takeaways:

1. Audit Your Rest Architecture

- Map current rest patterns against strategic needs

- Identify gaps between theory and practice

- Measure impact on decision quality

2. Design Deliberate Pause Points

- Align breaks with natural business rhythms

- Build in reflection time before key decisions

- Create clear boundaries between work and rest (but not at the cost of mandating this without proper conversation)

3. Develop Rest Capability

- Train leaders in strategic pause techniques

- Build rest skills as deliberately as work skills

- Monitor and adjust based on outcomes

4. Aim for Equitable Access

- Make strategic rest available at all levels

- Consider different needs and circumstances

- Remove barriers to meaningful pause

5. Measure What Matters

- Track decision quality, not just activity

- Monitor strategic insight generation

- Assess sustainable performance over time

The future belongs to organisations that master this balance.

Final Thoughts

Perhaps the most striking lesson from both ancient wisdom and modern research is this: strategic rest isn't a break from performance - it's a cornerstone of it. The medieval monks who built Britain's great cathedrals understood something profound about sustainable achievement. Their work endures not despite their structured rest, but because of it. My own journey from burnout to balance taught me this the hard way. Those hundred-hour teaching weeks weren't just unsustainable - they were strategically flawed. Real impact doesn't come from constant motion but from rhythmic alternation between engagement and renewal.

To return back to Bertrand Russell, please allow me the indulgence of couple of quotations from In Praise of Idleness:

"The modern man thinks that everything ought to be done for the sake of something else, and never for its own sake.""The idea that the poor should have leisure has always been shocking to the rich... When I suggest that working hours should be reduced to four, I am not meaning to imply that all the remaining time should necessarily be spent in pure frivolity. I mean that four hours' work a day should entitle a man to the necessities and elementary comforts of life, and that the rest of his time should be his to use as he might see fit." Bertrand Russell

The future of work demands this kind of wisdom more than ever - not necessarily four-hour work days but certainly not a relentless pursuit of more. As our world becomes a web of constant connectivity and AI acceleration, our competitive advantage seems to lie increasingly in qualities that require strategic renewal - creativity, insight, complex judgment. These aren't enhanced by endless grinding but by deliberate alternation between intensity and rest. The organisations that thrive won't be those that run fastest but those that pace themselves wisest. They'll understand 'kairos' - not just time as duration but time as opportunity.

Strategic rest creates space for these opportunities to emerge. This isn't about working less. It's about working better. It's about recognising, as philosophers from Russell to Wollstonecraft understood, that human flourishing requires rhythm, not just effort. In a world obsessed with acceleration, strategic pause might be our most powerful tool. My next holiday isn't just a break - it's a strategic investment in sustained performance. And yes, perhaps we should book that extra one my wife suggested. Not because we need an escape, but because we understand that true strategic advantage comes from mastering the art of purposeful pause. And even if we don't get away, I can step away as a wise decision. Mars probably got it right with Work, Rest and Play.

After all, as the Benedictines knew, the bells that called them to rest weren't interrupting their work. They were making their work possible.