How Working Less Has Improved My Life

Paying for my hubby’s school with cash has come with sacrifices. I am thankful God has provided and we have been able to cash flow college, but the frantic scramble to always get more work has taken it’s toll on me. 

I even started to wonder if I was a workaholic. 

Even though I was more than ready to pick Rest as my word of 2016, but it has been hard to purposely slow down and rest. There are many years of constantly hustling to bring in more work and rushing to the next task to undo, which takes time. 

Specific ways I have chosen to Rest

• First, I cut back my hours by not working on Saturdays or in the evenings. 
• My goal is to get off the computer by 8:30 pm and be in bed by 10 pm every night in order to get more sleep. 
• I have been scheduling more time in between jobs which decreases the stress of travel and allows me to find a nearby park where I can eat my lunch in the sunshine.
• Making time to sit and be still, instead of filling up the time I am not working with items from my to-do list.

In two months of Rest, I have learned several things. 

I feel so much better with 1/2 -1 hour with more sleep! In fact, I had been doing pretty good at sleeping more each night, until there were two nights in a row where I got 1 hour less of sleep each night. Both days, I was tired, cranky, and had a headache all day! And I used to function feeling like that every day! 

Winding down by getting off the computer, though 8:30 pm comes awfully fast, and taking time to decompress before going to bed helps me go to sleep more quickly and sleep better. 

I crave time of not doing anything, but sitting in the sunshine or staring out the window. Unconnecting from the phone, computer, and my to-do list has done wonders for my mind and helps me relax.

Yes, it has gotten better, but at first it was so hard to just sit and be still, ignoring the nagging voice of all the things I could do or should do. 

It has been harder to have or make quiet unplugged time alone at home, but when I do, I am much more productive with the rest of my day and I feel refreshed. 

Allowing my soul to breathe by taking time to rest, to think through things and to journal has given me a new strength.

There is a peace settling over my heart giving freedom to hear and believe the promises God is giving me. I so need peace and strength at this time in my life! 

Changing from a lifestyle frantically going from one task to the next to seeking out moments of rest, has been really difficult to put into place, but so worth it even after just two months. 

It is so easy to slip back into the ingrained habits of cramming more work into my day or staying up late, but I am starting to notice how I feel physically and emotionally when I do.

I don’t like the stress which comes from rushing, hustling, and always on the go. I don’t like who I become when I do. And it’s simply not worth it anymore. 

This Year of Rest is bringing freedom into my life and a steadiness into my heart. I am so grateful. 

Friend, if you are so weary from working so hard, even if it is a valid reason, and you are desperate for rest, can I encourage you to make time to rest every day? 

Even if you only have 15 minutes a day, making time to rest and be still will refresh your soul. Your mind will calm as will your emotions.

Your to-do list will still be there and it won’t hurt anything to put it aside for some time for yourself. You will be a much better person, and everyone around you will benefit. 

You are worth it.