How to Take Better Breaks: Mastering Rest & Recovery
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Jun 19, 2025
The hosts explore the transformative power of breaks for personal growth and creativity. They discuss how rest, both micro and macro, plays a crucial role in sustainable productivity. By addressing the guilt and anxiety around taking breaks, they encourage a mindset shift towards prioritizing recovery. Listeners learn about ultradian rhythms and the importance of integrating rest into daily life for enhanced performance. Additionally, they introduce an exciting new community platform aimed at boosting excellence.
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insights INSIGHT
Rest Is Essential for Growth
Growth relies on a cycle of stress followed by rest and recovery for adaptation and improvement.
Without rest, neither physical nor intellectual efforts lead to sustainable growth or breakthroughs.
insights INSIGHT
Brain Needs Focus and Diffuse Attention
The brain needs both focused and diffuse attention for creativity and learning.
Ultradian rhythms cause energy to peak about every 90-120 minutes, signaling when breaks are needed.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Struggle to Step Away From Work
Brad Stulberg struggled to leave his work to go to the gym despite knowing rest was needed.
Once he transitioned, he was able to rest and get into his workout effectively.
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Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success
Brad Stulberg
Steve Magness
Peak Performance uncovers the common principles that drive success in different domains, from athletics to intellectual and artistic pursuits. The book combines stories of top performers with scientific insights into cognitive and neurochemical factors that enhance performance. It teaches readers how to optimize their performance by alternating between intense work and rest, priming the body and mind for productivity, and developing a self-transcending purpose. The authors provide practical advice on managing stress, prioritizing rest and sleep, and setting meaningful goals to avoid burnout and achieve peak performance.
Hamilton
The Revolution
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Emily Ludolph
This book provides an unprecedented view into the development of *Hamilton*, from its conception to its landmark opening night on Broadway. It includes the full libretto of the musical, photographs, interviews with key figures involved in the production, and over 200 footnotes by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The book also features contributions from Questlove, Stephen Sondheim, and President Obama, among others, and offers insights into the artistic process and the historical context of the musical.
We all know we need to take breaks to allow ourselves to rest and recover, both physically and cognitively. But it can be especially hard to do when we feel like we need to keep pushing. So today, we're tackling that problem: What would it look like to design our days around sustainable rhythms rather than maximum output—and how do we do this while still meeting real-world demands? We talk about how to deal with the anxiety and guilty that can come with taking a break (and feeling behind); give you effective strategies to take both micro/daily breaks and macro/seasonal breaks; and talk about ways to think about building rest and recovery into a long-term path to sustainable success.
**ANNOUNCEMENT**: Next week, the podcast will be relaunched as "Excellence, Actually." Subscribe now so that the show still shows up in your feed. If you search for the show, make sure you search "Excellence, Actually."
Link to read an unedited transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IhnkVxNQuL8u_cDf3VVT_KEVQlaiAl5z9yqI3sw4qZ8/edit?usp=sharing
If you have a questions for us, send an email to clay.growtheq@gmail.com or call our voicemail at (646) 893-9503.
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