We often treat rest as negotiable – something we’ll get to after finishing all our urgent work. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: there will always be urgent work. The inbox will never be empty, the paper will never be perfect, and there will always be another deadline looming on the horizon.

The conventional wisdom tells us to power through, to keep pushing until we get over the next hump, and then we’ll have time to rest. But what if we’ve been thinking about urgency all wrong?

Here’s an unconventional approach: make rest your most urgent task.

This isn’t about taking lengthy vacations or spending your afternoons napping (though both have their place). It’s about fundamentally reframing how you view rest in relation to your work. Instead of treating rest as what happens after everything else is done, treat it as your most critical daily deliverable.

Pushing past exhaustion brings short-term rewards. Over time, well-being is vital to success. Daily exhaustion adds up to long-term burnout. Success can be attained without rest, but it can’t be sustained without rest.

Adam Grant

Practical implementation:

• Schedule your rest periods first, before any other commitments
• Protect these periods as rigorously as you would protect time for your most important meeting
• Set clear boundaries around these rest periods – no checking email “just in case”
• If someone wants to schedule over your rest period, treat it like any other scheduling conflict: “I’m sorry, I have an important commitment at that time”

This approach might feel uncomfortable, even selfish at first. But remember: sustainability isn’t selfish. Just as you wouldn’t expect your laptop to run indefinitely without charging, you cannot sustain high-quality academic work without regular renewal of your mental and physical energy.

When we deprioritise rest, we’re not just sacrificing our well-being – we’re compromising the quality and impact of our academic work. By treating rest as urgent, we create the conditions for sustained, meaningful scholarship rather than perpetual exhaustion.

Ready to build rest into your daily routine? The Head Space Time Management course shows you how to create a sustainable schedule that prioritises both productivity and renewal.