Creative Rest Techniques

After noticing a similar habit among highly creative people (Einstein, Mozart, da Vinci, etc), the neuroscientist Dr. Nancy Andreasen designed a brain-imaging study to explore the neural basis of this habit. Essentially, these creative people all carved out time each day for... “Free-floating periods of thought,” Dr. Andreasen writes in her book, “The Creating Brain.” The specifics of the habit differ. Leonardo da Vinci, for example, would often sit in front of a painting “and simply think, sometimes for as long as a half day.” Whereas Einstein loved to aimlessly drift at sea on a little wooden boat he called the “Tinef” (Yiddish for “piece of junk”). He had to be rescued by the Coast Guard so frequently that a friend eventually bought him an outboard motor for emergency use, but Einstein refused it. “To the average person, being becalmed for hours might be a terrible trial,” the friend said. “To Einstein, this could simply provide more time to think.” So, Dr. Andreasen conducted the first study of brain activity during “free-floating periods of thought,” when the body is in a “resting state” and the mind is free to wander. “We found activations in multiple regions of the association cortex,” she writes. “We were not [seeing] a passive silent brain during the ‘resting state,’ but rather a brain that was actively connecting thoughts and experiences.” Essentially, Dr. Andreasen found that the brain defaults to creativity. When the body is still and the mind is allowed to float freely, the brain engages in what she termed REST (“random episodic silent thinking”). And during REST, the brain “uses its most human and complex parts...areas known to gather information and link it all together.” Separate from those that led to Dr. Andreasen's study, I’ve collected many examples of creative people describing their own REST-ful habits: The legendary designer Paula Scher: “I figured out every identity program I’ve ever done in a taxicab…you sit in the back...look out the window and you can sort of let your mind wander.” One of the great songwriters of all time, Paul Simon: “I used to go off in the bathroom...turn on the faucet so that water would run—I like that sound, it’s very soothing to me—and I’d play, in the dark, letting my imagination wander.” (During one of these sessions, these words came to him: “Hello darkness, my old friend / I’ve come to talk with you again”—which became the opening verse of “The Sound of Silence”). The filmmaker Quentin Tarantino: “I have a pool...And I hop in my pool and just kind of float around…and then a lot of shit will come to me. Literally, a lot of ideas will come to me. Then I get out and make little notes on that...That will be my work for tomorrow.” - - - So whether it’s sitting in front of painting, drifting in a boat, riding in a taxi, playing the guitar in a dark bathroom, or floating in a pool, if you want to be more creative, carve out time each day for “free-floating periods of thought.”

What do Albert Einstein, Paul McCartney, and Virgina Woolf have in common – besides being highly influential figures in their respective fields? All three revealed that some of their most creative ideas came to them whilst they were walking or sleeping. Ok, so what’s the brain up to this time? Why should disengaging help #creativity? In 2014, a group of researchers at Stanford measured the positive effects of mild physical activity on creativity – and found that walking boosted creativity by between 50-80%. 👉 When students took a brisk walk around the college campus or walked at a relaxed pace on an indoor treadmill facing a blank wall – their performance on a test of creativity called the “Alternate Uses Task” improved by a whopping 81%! The AUT tests “divergent thinking,” which is the ability to explore many possible solutions, including blue sky or out of the box thinking. 👉 Walking outdoors produced the most novel and highest quality analogies, indicating that walking had a very specific benefit in improving creativity. 👉 Furthermore, walking made people more talkative, resulting in roughly 50% more total ideas being produced compared to when sitting. In other words, just going for a short walk led to a massive increase in creativity. Or, in the words of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, "All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” Sleeping on it seems to have a similar creativity-enhancing effect as physical exercise. How many times have you come back to tackle a seemingly insurmountable problem after a sleep – or even a nap – and the pieces seemed to fall right into place? Studies have found that during the phase of sleep known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the #brain is able to make new and novel connections between unrelated ideas, which is a key aspect of creativity. This state of sleep allows for the free association of ideas, which can lead to creative problem-solving and the generation of innovative ideas upon waking. REM sleep is thought to contribute to "incubating" creative ideas, as the brain reorganizes and consolidates memories, potentially leading to creative insights. Both physical exercise and sleep are mood-enhancers, which may contribute to enhancing creativity. Research suggests that positive moods can enhance creative thinking, making it easier for individuals to think flexibly and come up with innovative solutions. Positive emotional states often increase cognitive flexibility, broaden attention, and allow for more associations between ideas, which are key elements of creativity. Turns out, there are practical ways to spark more ‘Aha!’ moments in our lives. The next time you’re struggling to think of a solution to a problem, try taking a walk or sleeping on it – the evidence-backed cheat-codes for unlocking creativity!

Taking breaks is part of the job. If you plough straight from task to task, stress builds and focus drops. I'm often guilty of this. I get absorbed by a challenge or an opportunity, dive in and find that three hours have passed before I know it. Microsoft ran EEG tests on people in back-to-back 30-minute meetings. measuring what happens in their brains. They found that short pauses prevented stress from accumulating, boosted engagement, and smoothed the stressful “gear-change” between meetings. In other words, breathers help you do better work. Here are three ways I make breaks count: 1. The pre-task pause Before a tricky task, I go out and take a five-minute walk - even if it's pouring! - then start. Beginning with a breath of fresh air calms the transition and stops me white-knuckling through the first half hour. 2. The one-song reset I turn up the volume on a three-minute track (currently something by Post Malone) stand up, stretch my wrists, look at something out of the window very far away. Then I refill my glass with cold water, and sit back down as the song ends. The music is my timer, so there’s no alarm faff - and I always come back on cue. 3. The park-it technique I end a deep-work stint by writing two lines on the notepad by my keyboard: “what I did” and “what I’ll do next”. Then I step away. Writing down the next step eases my fear of losing momentum, so I can pick it up again the next day. If, like me, you get absorbed and let hours disappear, try one of these this week. What’s your most reliable reset?

You’ve reduced your screentime before bed. You’re going to bed early. You’re getting 8 hours of sleep. But still, you don’t feel well-rested. This is why. Rest isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s highly personalized. And the key to know what rest means for you is: Your rest must be the opposite of your work. Think about it. → Sedentary vs. Physical work If you work a desk job, then rest for you is movement. A walk, a stretch, anything that wakes your body up. But if your work is physically demanding, rest for you is giving yourself permission to sit still without guilt. → Cerebral vs. Regulated work Rest for someone who spends their day making critical decisions is doing something mindless. While rest for someone doing repetitive tasks is mentally stimulating activities. → Social vs. Isolated work If you work with people all day, rest is silence and solitude. But if you work alone, rest is laughter, connection and human energy. Rest looks different for everybody. So stop copying other people's rest routines. And start asking yourself: What's the opposite of what I do all day? That's your real rest. #Rest #Wellness #Productivity #BoundlessWithRamG

In my 20s, I thought working 80 hours a week made me successful. In my 40s, I realized it made me stupid. Sure, I made money, hit President’s Club, led massive deals. But it wasn’t until I started resting that I actually built wealth. Today, I want to explain why REST is the ultimate Revenue Generating Activity. And how top performers use it to make more money in less time. Most salespeople still think “grind” equals “growth.” But here’s the truth: revenue-generating activities (RGAs) only work when you have the energy to do them. You can’t prospect powerfully when you’re running on fumes. You can’t lead impactful calls when your brain is foggy. You can’t close big deals if your energy is small. That’s why I started teaching my team a new kind of RGA: Rest-Generating Activities. Rest-Generating Activities are the foundation that make real RGAs possible. Because what kills most AEs isn’t lack of talent. It’s fatigue. They waste energy on the wrong things — Slack, internal meetings, busywork — and then try to prospect in survival mode. Here’s how I stay in peak performance mode without working nights or weekends: 1. Plan Rest Like Revenue I take four vacations a year. Not maybe. Not “if I hit quota.” I book them six months in advance. It’s not luxury — it’s strategy. When there’s a deadline before a break, I work sharper. When I return, my creativity explodes. 2. Track Sleep Like Pipeline I use WHOOP to make sure I get 7–8 hours of quality sleep. Because a rested brain closes more than a tired one ever will. 3. Protect the Calendar Every day, I block 12–1 p.m. That’s lunch with my wife, a walk, a reset. If you sprint from 8:30–12, you need that hour. Otherwise you’re running a marathon on fumes. 4. Stop at a Set Time I stop working at 5 p.m. (sometimes 6 p.m. — never 10). Why? Because if there’s no hard stop, there’s no urgency. When you know you can’t work at night, you make the day count. The result? I work 40 hours a week. I outperform people who work 80. Because my hours are intentional, not impulsive. The problem isn’t overwork — it’s under-focus. Most people are busy for 60 hours instead of productive for 6. And when you fix that, you win at work and at life.

Everyone tells artists to hustle harder. But science says the opposite. Research shows unconscious thought leads to more creative ideas than conscious effort. A few years ago, I went on sabbatical at the Bellagio Center in Lake Como. No meetings. No deadlines. Just time to think, write, and compose. That space changed everything. Here are 5 principles that make strategic rest your most productive tool: 1. Stillness Creates Clarity When you're always producing, you start repeating yourself. Stepping away helps you hear what's missing. Action: Schedule 2-4 week blocks with zero creative output pressure. Paul Simon took a long break before Graceland. That pause led him to South African music. A sound that redefined his career. Studies show almost half of creativity variance comes from recovery patterns, not work patterns. 2. Environment Shapes Imagination New places reset how you think. Unfamiliar settings create unexpected connections. Action: Change your physical environment completely. Go somewhere that challenges your routine. Georgia O'Keeffe found her color palette in the New Mexico desert. Ernest Hemingway wrote A Moveable Feast in Paris cafés. At Bellagio, I had dinner every night with scientists, poets, and composers. Those conversations helped me see connections between art and ideas I'd never linked before. 3. Document Without Pressure Creative breakthroughs need incubation time. Write down ideas without forcing them into finished work. Action: Keep a simple notebook. Let ideas marinate. Trust the process. At Bellagio, I wrote pages of unfinished sketches. Later, those became full songs. REM sleep and downtime improve creative problem-solving by 60%. Silence can be part of the writing process. 4. Rest Is Part of Mastery You cannot create forever at full speed. Strategic breaks aren't weakness. They're essential. Action: Build sabbaticals into your creative cycle. Even 48-hour breaks shift perspective. James Blake canceled his tour to take a mental break. That pause helped him return with Assume Form. His most open and spacious album. Research proves: vacations increase creativity for months afterward. 5. Make It Time In, Not Time Off A sabbatical isn't avoiding work. It's doing the deeper work your art requires. Action: Protect your rest periods fiercely. Say no to "quick projects." The break IS the work. Your next breakthrough isn't hiding in harder work. It's waiting in strategic rest. ♻️ Share this with someone who needs permission to rest 🔔 Follow Kabir Sehgal for insights on creativity

7 Types of Rest Your Body and Mind Crave Ever slept 8 hours but still woke up drained? Sleep alone can’t fix modern exhaustion. Science reveals true restoration requires layered rest. Here’s how to heal every part of you: 1. Mental Rest ↳ When your brain is a browser with 100 tabs open. • Pause the overthinking loop. • Try: Mindful breathing, screen-free mornings, or doodling. 2. Physical Rest ↳ Your body’s SOS signal. • Listen to aches before they scream. • Try: Yoga nidra, stretching, or a warm bath. 3. Spiritual Rest ↳ When purpose feels blurry. • Reconnect with your “why.” • Try: Nature walks, gratitude journaling, or quiet reflection. 4. Emotional Rest ↳ The cost of wearing invisible armor. • Stop performing “fine.” • Try: Therapy, solo dance parties, or saying “I need space.” 5. Creative Rest ↳ Empty well, zero ideas. • Refill your inspiration bucket. • Try: Cloud-watching, visiting art galleries, or cooking without recipes. 6. Sensory Rest ↳ When the world feels like a strobe light. • Escape the 24/7 noise circus. • Try: Earthing (walk barefoot), candlelit evenings, or noise-canceling headphones. 7. Social Rest ↳ Dreading Zoom calls? That’s your cue. • Protect your relational energy. • Try: Solo hikes, muting group chats, or a “no small talk” day. Rest isn’t lazy. It’s how you: → Show up fully for your kids. → Lead teams without snapping. → Turn chaos into clarity. The world doesn’t need another burnout martyr. It needs you — recharged, inspired, and unapologetically human. ♻️ Repost to normalize rest in our hustle-obsessed world. 🔔 Follow Natan Mohart for Leadership, EQ and Strategy posts.

What if I told you rest was a big reason I’ve been the top sales rep on my team year over year? When we first started traveling 4 months ago, we explored seven days a week. New cities, early mornings, packed itineraries… until we were exhausted and crashed hard which we realized was not going to be sustainable. Our bodies (and nervous systems) needed time to recover. Now, we schedule a full rest day every week… no exploring, no planning, just rest. And it’s made all the difference. I realized this is how a lot of us operate in our day-to-day jobs. We push hard when we’re tired, demo when we are sick, skip breaks or eat a quick lunch because there’s “too much to do,” and wear exhaustion like a badge of honor. Meanwhile, LeBron James spends over $1M a year on recovery all to protect his ability to perform long term. He knows what most of us forget… 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. Tapping into this realization helped me stay at the top and prevent burnout. Here’s how you can rest often and still achieve: 🕐 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀. A regular rhythm helps regulate your nervous system so your brain can properly recover. 💡 𝗕𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. Limit distractions so you’re not finishing tasks later on the couch and getting back into work mode.  🧺 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. Schedule an admin block once a week for tasks, errands and chores so most evenings stay restful. 🌿 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀.  Daily → walks, meditation, gym, time without screens.  Monthly → book a massage, take a bath, friend dinners. 📱 𝗕𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Put your phone away during dinner or when spending time with loved ones to avoid “rest” turning into numbing out which isn’t recharging.  💭 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆. If your body or energy feels off, listen before it forces you to stop. The best way to have long-term success is to build rest into the plan from the start instead of waiting until burnout forces it 🙌🏽 What’s one way you give yourself space to rest without guilt? 💆♀️ Pictured is my rest day last week on our Nile Cruise! Lots of reading, meditation, and journaling to reflect on the trip so far 😍

This year I realized that my "rest days" left me more tired than I started. We often think “holiday rest” will magically recharge us, but science tells a different story. Simply “lying low” or mindlessly scrolling doesn’t restore our energy or cognitive resources the way we expect. OK, so what does work? 👉 Active, intentional rest: Activities that fully engage you & feel satisfying like walks in nature, creative hobbies, quality time with others, etc. Here's a few takeaways that I have for colleagues in life sciences & research: 😌 Rest isn’t passive. It’s intentional. 😌 Scheduling recovery before stress compounds gives you more clarity & resilience. 😌 Guilt about taking time off actually undermines the benefits of rest. 😌 The brain needs restoration, not distraction, to support creativity, learning, and decision-making. In research science or biotech sales, our work depends on mental energy as much as technical skill. Rest isn’t a pause in productivity but rather a part of how we sustain it.

...at what point did we label rest as inefficient instead of essential? We belief that being active at all times equals being efficient, and that any moment without visible output must be wasted. This belief is reinforced by environments that reward speed, availability, and constant doing. The more you move, the more valuable you seem. The moment you pause, it can feel like you are falling behind. But this logic ignores how humans actually function. Rest is not the opposite of productivity; it is part of it. Without rest, focus declines, thinking becomes less precise, and decisions lose quality. You may still be active, but the effectiveness of your actions decreases. What often looks like efficiency is, in reality, accumulated fatigue. True efficiency is not about doing more without stopping. It is about using your energy in a way that allows for clarity, precision, and sustainable performance. Energy does not operate continuously. It follows cycles. Effort requires recovery, and without that recovery, output loses impact. Despite this, rest is often treated as something that needs to be earned. Even during breaks, many people continue to consume, scroll, or multitask, which prevents actual recovery. Real rest is simple, but not easy. It requires doing one thing at a time, without adding stimulation or turning the moment into something productive. The discomfort that appears in stillness is not a sign that rest is wrong. It is a sign of how deeply the belief in constant activity has been internalized. this is for you: 1 | Schedule rest intentionally how: block specific time for rest in your calendar, just like any other commitment why: planned rest is more likely to happen and supports consistent energy levels 2 | Reduce input during rest how: put away devices and avoid adding new information while resting why: your brain can only recover when it is not continuously processing stimuli 3 | Focus on one thing at a time how: choose either to work or to rest, without mixing both why: divided attention drains energy, while single focus restores it Rest is not inefficient. It is what allows you to work with clarity, make better decisions, and sustain your energy over time. Stay human. Stay awake. Stay you. Carina Hellmich Int Certified Professional Coach | Mentor | Keynote Speaker | Trainer #selfleadership #authenticity #stressmanagement #selfcare #leadership #linkedinnewseurope #energy #topvoice #linkedin #selfconsciousness #personaldevelopment #coaching #mentoring #selfcare Video credit: deinimker - pm me for credit or removal Writing credit:©Me