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[PODCAST 313]: 4 Practical Ways to Get More Rest
I’ve been listening to an audiobook this week called “Rest – Why You Get More Done When You Work Less.” (The title intrigued me!)
The book is SO good–I’ve been fast forwarding through a few parts, but every chapter has something powerful in it, and one of the first things I learned is that our brains aren’t “doing nothing” when they are resting. I’d never heard of the Default Mode Network before, but essentially, once we stop reading/working/focusing, our brain is still making connections and processing things in different ways, but that rest is what keeps us healthy and sane. The book also highlights some of the best writers, scientists, and thinkers in the world who had a ton of rest in their lives and didn’t push themselves like crazy.
And whether you’re looking to “get more done” or simply get more rest, today I’m sharing some practical ideas–along with some personal thoughts about rest (and why we sometimes resist it). My goal is to help you to feel calm and hopeful today.
Most of us are carrying a lot of responsibilities–with our personal lives, our families, our friends and communities, our professions, and all of the details that exist within those categories. You likely came to LearnDoBecome because you’ve felt some sense of overwhelm, and you want to create a peaceful, calm life–while still doing the things required to “keep everything going” AND you want to pursue your unique purpose or calling in life. That’s not too much to ask, right? But it often feels impossible when we’re in the middle of it all.
In today’s episode, I want to walk through some common reasons we resist rest, emphasize a few points about why rest is essential, and then dive into four practical ways we can create more mental and physical rest in our very full lives.
Resistance to Rest
This is actually the first podcast I’ve recorded in 2 ½ months because I have essentially been in bed with a virus for that whole time. This happened all through the holidays, so I kept thinking I was “better” and getting up and doing things, and my body kept shutting me down.
My most common internet search during this time was, “How do I get better faster?” Because ChatGPT kept telling me to stop trying so hard and to just REST, I thought I would try another A.I., Claude, and see if it had some better ideas.
Looking back on it now, my conversation with Claude makes me laugh. It was basically yelling at me and saying, “Why do you keep insisting that you can’t rest? Why do tasks and projects and meetings mean so much that you can’t just take a break? You’ve been sick for MONTHS. Do you honestly think that everyone else’s wants and needs mean more than your health?
Where is all of this coming from? Who’s telling you that you can’t rest? How is the world going to fall apart if you just take care of yourself?”
I finally had to accept that I needed to heal, so I stopped talking for a couple of weeks and literally rested as though it were my full-time job. Then I started to heal.
I don’t know what you are personally going through right now, but I invite you to look at your life (or ask Claude to look at your life and ask, “Am I resisting rest?”
Here are some reasons (good ones, I might add) that we often do so:
I’m clearly not great at this yet, but my years on this earth, and particularly my past couple of months have taught me that any time I resist the rest my body clearly needs, there’s a belief that needs to change.
Is Rest REALLY Essential?
I won’t go deep into this here because there are so many books, podcasts, and videos on this topic (“Sacred Rest” and this new book I’ve been talking about are both good ones!), but here are a few points that have been helpful to me:
Four Practical Ways We Can Create More Mental and Physical Rest
After all this, you might be thinking, “Fine, April, I believe you. Rest is good and I don’t get enough of it. How is this supposed to HELP ME?”
I’m going to share four very practical things we can do, and I’ll be pulling in some stories from our community members who are actually doing it. What we share in STEP and ARISE is designed for this exact purpose–to get you out of overwhelm through simple systems so you can do what matters most. David Allen’s book Getting Things Done® taught me this initial framework, and it has been an absolute game changer!
(1) Create “Future Buckets” that Lighten the Feeling of Overwhelm.
I talk about this all the time, but if you’re new or if you’d like a review, here at LearnDoBecome, we emphasize the importance of Project Lists. Think of a Project Pyramid–with “Current Projects” at the top, and then “Next in Line” and “Someday.” (We also have some that are “In Progress,” but other videos and podcasts talk more about that.) It is the easiest thing in the world to put 100 projects on your Current Projects List and say, “I must build my career, organize my house, write a book, figure out a new exercise plan, celebrate every birthday and holiday, volunteer with every good organization, and develop new skills like painting and breeding puppies–all while showing up to every political and social event and saving the world.” But it is difficult to say, “I am one person with a finite number of hours and a finite amount of energy. Which projects are most essential, and which ones can wait?” Why is that hard? I think it’s because we feel like we’re giving up or like we don’t care or like our dreams are DYING if they are not labeled “Current.” But it’s exactly the opposite. When we have just a few Current Projects and when the majority are Next in Line or Someday (in these “Future Buckets” I’m talking about), we can make progress and eventually get to everything that truly matters. And we can rest in the process.
This story from Ruby really touched my heart. In the midst of SO much opposition, she built her Command Central and shared that she wasn’t worried that the rest of the office was a mess because it was one of her first projects. She knows she doesn’t have to do everything at once in order to be a success.
(2) Eliminate the Problems We Can Control
Shannon’s message made me smile. She said, “My daughter is bringing a friend home after school and MY HOUSE IS ALREADY CLEAN!” If you are new here or haven’t yet seen the power of Current Projects, Next Actions, Routines, etc. this might sound crazy, but essentially, when you break up “organizing the house” into distinct projects (maybe going room by room or section by section), and then when you establish routines that keep things generally clean (like having the family “reset the room” after use), you will never find yourself running around like a crazy person trying to tidy up. Home maintenance becomes something you do at a natural pace that works with your life. Rest fits in beautifully with that.
Chip and Cassie said the same thing: “Just want to encourage you all. For the first time in my adult life I am not freaking out when I know people are coming over! We may occasionally have a small pile here or there but it gets taken care of weekly. DO NOT GIVE UP!!! You can do this!!! It is definitely a process but so worth the time!”
So “finally getting the house clean” is one problem we can control. Another is creating a budget and a financial plan that works for us/our family and will lead us toward financial independence. Eric led an ARISE workshop on “Financial Independence from the Inside Out” a couple of weeks ago, and it was SO GOOD. Our ARISErs were able to create their Financial Net Worth Statements, and we were able to talk about sound financial principles that anyone–on any budget–can control.
When things we CAN control are not under control, we can spend so much time and energy worrying (and dealing with the fallout). But when we prioritize those controllable problems, we can save ourselves so much hassle and make room for rest.
(3) Eliminate the Burden of Procrastination
It’s no secret that people lose sleep and feel weighed down by stress when they procrastinate. I talk about this all the time, so I’ll keep this one brief, but by identifying the very next action required to move something forward and then putting it on the calendar or a weekly context-based list (phone, home, computer, errands, or to discuss) we can free ourselves from that mental weight. I used to procrastinate everything, and now I literally don’t procrastinate anything, and it’s because of this tool. Here’s a fun example from Nichellee where she needed to review her taxes so she could electronically file them. Her next action was to clear off the desk, and from there, she quickly got her project done! The reason I’ve been talking about this for nearly 2 decades is because this works!
(4) Expect an Appropriate Workload from Ourselves
There are several tools in our STEP program that can support you here–like doing a Mind Sweep, where you get everything out of your head so you can see what you’re dealing with–or writing down ALL the routines you expect yourself to do in a given day/week/month/year and adding up the time they take (and likely finding that you think you have 79 hours in a day). But the key to using these tools effectively is by adjusting accordingly. The concept of a Multiple-Choice Perfect Day has been a boost for a lot of people–helping them see that every day can be “perfect” or “complete”–even if only a few things got done.
Expecting an appropriate workload from ourselves needs to be part of our daily evaluation. For example, yesterday I made time to create our STEP Coaching Information page. I am finally able to focus on work now that my health is returning, and I thought this page would take me all day. Surprisingly, I finished in a couple hours! I was pretty tired after that project because my body is still recovering, but instead of adding more to my work load (thinking, “HEY! Look at all this time I have to do more things!”), I decided I could just rest with that extra time and consider it a gift to myself. That was huge for me, by the way…
This sweet story from Lisa inspired me, as well:
And I don’t know if you’ve listened to the awesome interview Coach Jill did with Yaisa a few weeks ago, but she shared how, prior to coming to LearnDoBecome and going through the STEP program, she was incredibly stressed with her job. While she was able to eventually get out of that position and move into a healthier one, she needed a way to manage everything that was coming at her. She shared that she was often in tears because she was so overwhelmed. And she said it wasn’t just a little bit of crying. She was sobbing a couple of times a week. A search online somehow led her to our free webinar, and that’s where her STEP journey began! Although the toxic nature of that job environment didn’t change, she shared that she was able to receive everything that was given to her and organize it appropriately (prioritized in her STEP Command Central). Now, in her new position, she has two Command Centrals–one for work and one for home–and when she finishes her work week, she shuts down her computer and shifts into “home mode”–no longer worrying about all the tasks and projects because she knows they’re under control. I listened to the interview while out on a walk, and wow–what a gift that she was willing to share!
I hope that today’s episode has been both practical and hopeful for you. I know when you’re in the middle of chaos and emails and work projects and family struggles, it can feel like the world is on your shoulders. But I know that there is a way to manage the “stuff” of life so you can get the true rest you need.
And as a side note, I’m really grateful to be back here on the podcast. There were some moments when Eric and I wondered if I was ever going to get better. We didn’t know if our “new normal” was going to be me living on the couch. One afternoon, Eric said, “If this is our life from now on, I’m here for it. I’m here for you. But I really hope you can feel better soon.” I love this community, and I know I can’t see you as I’m writing or speaking, but I read your stories and comments, and I genuinely care for you.
Please stay close and watch for some exciting things that are about to be released! Eric and I have been working on a new, visual path for success at LearnDoBecome, plus brand-new Success Milestones inside our ARISE membership, so don’t miss that!
And we are opening our STEP Coaching membership on Thursday, February 5th 2026 to help you create and USE your STEP Command Central! The biggest request we’ve received over the years is for personalized support and more coaching, so we’ve created something really exciting to help you get results! (All the details can be found here!)
Related Links:
STEP Coaching Membership – Opening February 5, 2026!
Book – Rest – Why You Get More Done When You Work Less
Book – Sacred Rest
Podcast – Customizing STEP: Yaisa’s Real-Life Transformation
Video – Project Overwhelm Solved- Projects Pyramid
Free LearnDoBecome Community Facebook Group
YouTube Channel: Subscribe Here!
Brand new? Get the LearnDoBecome Welcome Kit here!
The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.
Fun (and Totally Free!) Training Recording: Clear The Space – LIVE!
Free Training, How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles
Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!
View all episodes
By Learn | Do | BecomeI’ve been listening to an audiobook this week called “Rest – Why You Get More Done When You Work Less.” (The title intrigued me!)
The book is SO good–I’ve been fast forwarding through a few parts, but every chapter has something powerful in it, and one of the first things I learned is that our brains aren’t “doing nothing” when they are resting. I’d never heard of the Default Mode Network before, but essentially, once we stop reading/working/focusing, our brain is still making connections and processing things in different ways, but that rest is what keeps us healthy and sane. The book also highlights some of the best writers, scientists, and thinkers in the world who had a ton of rest in their lives and didn’t push themselves like crazy.
And whether you’re looking to “get more done” or simply get more rest, today I’m sharing some practical ideas–along with some personal thoughts about rest (and why we sometimes resist it). My goal is to help you to feel calm and hopeful today.
Most of us are carrying a lot of responsibilities–with our personal lives, our families, our friends and communities, our professions, and all of the details that exist within those categories. You likely came to LearnDoBecome because you’ve felt some sense of overwhelm, and you want to create a peaceful, calm life–while still doing the things required to “keep everything going” AND you want to pursue your unique purpose or calling in life. That’s not too much to ask, right? But it often feels impossible when we’re in the middle of it all.
In today’s episode, I want to walk through some common reasons we resist rest, emphasize a few points about why rest is essential, and then dive into four practical ways we can create more mental and physical rest in our very full lives.
Resistance to Rest
This is actually the first podcast I’ve recorded in 2 ½ months because I have essentially been in bed with a virus for that whole time. This happened all through the holidays, so I kept thinking I was “better” and getting up and doing things, and my body kept shutting me down.
My most common internet search during this time was, “How do I get better faster?” Because ChatGPT kept telling me to stop trying so hard and to just REST, I thought I would try another A.I., Claude, and see if it had some better ideas.
Looking back on it now, my conversation with Claude makes me laugh. It was basically yelling at me and saying, “Why do you keep insisting that you can’t rest? Why do tasks and projects and meetings mean so much that you can’t just take a break? You’ve been sick for MONTHS. Do you honestly think that everyone else’s wants and needs mean more than your health?
Where is all of this coming from? Who’s telling you that you can’t rest? How is the world going to fall apart if you just take care of yourself?”
I finally had to accept that I needed to heal, so I stopped talking for a couple of weeks and literally rested as though it were my full-time job. Then I started to heal.
I don’t know what you are personally going through right now, but I invite you to look at your life (or ask Claude to look at your life and ask, “Am I resisting rest?”
Here are some reasons (good ones, I might add) that we often do so:
I’m clearly not great at this yet, but my years on this earth, and particularly my past couple of months have taught me that any time I resist the rest my body clearly needs, there’s a belief that needs to change.
Is Rest REALLY Essential?
I won’t go deep into this here because there are so many books, podcasts, and videos on this topic (“Sacred Rest” and this new book I’ve been talking about are both good ones!), but here are a few points that have been helpful to me:
Four Practical Ways We Can Create More Mental and Physical Rest
After all this, you might be thinking, “Fine, April, I believe you. Rest is good and I don’t get enough of it. How is this supposed to HELP ME?”
I’m going to share four very practical things we can do, and I’ll be pulling in some stories from our community members who are actually doing it. What we share in STEP and ARISE is designed for this exact purpose–to get you out of overwhelm through simple systems so you can do what matters most. David Allen’s book Getting Things Done® taught me this initial framework, and it has been an absolute game changer!
(1) Create “Future Buckets” that Lighten the Feeling of Overwhelm.
I talk about this all the time, but if you’re new or if you’d like a review, here at LearnDoBecome, we emphasize the importance of Project Lists. Think of a Project Pyramid–with “Current Projects” at the top, and then “Next in Line” and “Someday.” (We also have some that are “In Progress,” but other videos and podcasts talk more about that.) It is the easiest thing in the world to put 100 projects on your Current Projects List and say, “I must build my career, organize my house, write a book, figure out a new exercise plan, celebrate every birthday and holiday, volunteer with every good organization, and develop new skills like painting and breeding puppies–all while showing up to every political and social event and saving the world.” But it is difficult to say, “I am one person with a finite number of hours and a finite amount of energy. Which projects are most essential, and which ones can wait?” Why is that hard? I think it’s because we feel like we’re giving up or like we don’t care or like our dreams are DYING if they are not labeled “Current.” But it’s exactly the opposite. When we have just a few Current Projects and when the majority are Next in Line or Someday (in these “Future Buckets” I’m talking about), we can make progress and eventually get to everything that truly matters. And we can rest in the process.
This story from Ruby really touched my heart. In the midst of SO much opposition, she built her Command Central and shared that she wasn’t worried that the rest of the office was a mess because it was one of her first projects. She knows she doesn’t have to do everything at once in order to be a success.
(2) Eliminate the Problems We Can Control
Shannon’s message made me smile. She said, “My daughter is bringing a friend home after school and MY HOUSE IS ALREADY CLEAN!” If you are new here or haven’t yet seen the power of Current Projects, Next Actions, Routines, etc. this might sound crazy, but essentially, when you break up “organizing the house” into distinct projects (maybe going room by room or section by section), and then when you establish routines that keep things generally clean (like having the family “reset the room” after use), you will never find yourself running around like a crazy person trying to tidy up. Home maintenance becomes something you do at a natural pace that works with your life. Rest fits in beautifully with that.
Chip and Cassie said the same thing: “Just want to encourage you all. For the first time in my adult life I am not freaking out when I know people are coming over! We may occasionally have a small pile here or there but it gets taken care of weekly. DO NOT GIVE UP!!! You can do this!!! It is definitely a process but so worth the time!”
So “finally getting the house clean” is one problem we can control. Another is creating a budget and a financial plan that works for us/our family and will lead us toward financial independence. Eric led an ARISE workshop on “Financial Independence from the Inside Out” a couple of weeks ago, and it was SO GOOD. Our ARISErs were able to create their Financial Net Worth Statements, and we were able to talk about sound financial principles that anyone–on any budget–can control.
When things we CAN control are not under control, we can spend so much time and energy worrying (and dealing with the fallout). But when we prioritize those controllable problems, we can save ourselves so much hassle and make room for rest.
(3) Eliminate the Burden of Procrastination
It’s no secret that people lose sleep and feel weighed down by stress when they procrastinate. I talk about this all the time, so I’ll keep this one brief, but by identifying the very next action required to move something forward and then putting it on the calendar or a weekly context-based list (phone, home, computer, errands, or to discuss) we can free ourselves from that mental weight. I used to procrastinate everything, and now I literally don’t procrastinate anything, and it’s because of this tool. Here’s a fun example from Nichellee where she needed to review her taxes so she could electronically file them. Her next action was to clear off the desk, and from there, she quickly got her project done! The reason I’ve been talking about this for nearly 2 decades is because this works!
(4) Expect an Appropriate Workload from Ourselves
There are several tools in our STEP program that can support you here–like doing a Mind Sweep, where you get everything out of your head so you can see what you’re dealing with–or writing down ALL the routines you expect yourself to do in a given day/week/month/year and adding up the time they take (and likely finding that you think you have 79 hours in a day). But the key to using these tools effectively is by adjusting accordingly. The concept of a Multiple-Choice Perfect Day has been a boost for a lot of people–helping them see that every day can be “perfect” or “complete”–even if only a few things got done.
Expecting an appropriate workload from ourselves needs to be part of our daily evaluation. For example, yesterday I made time to create our STEP Coaching Information page. I am finally able to focus on work now that my health is returning, and I thought this page would take me all day. Surprisingly, I finished in a couple hours! I was pretty tired after that project because my body is still recovering, but instead of adding more to my work load (thinking, “HEY! Look at all this time I have to do more things!”), I decided I could just rest with that extra time and consider it a gift to myself. That was huge for me, by the way…
This sweet story from Lisa inspired me, as well:
And I don’t know if you’ve listened to the awesome interview Coach Jill did with Yaisa a few weeks ago, but she shared how, prior to coming to LearnDoBecome and going through the STEP program, she was incredibly stressed with her job. While she was able to eventually get out of that position and move into a healthier one, she needed a way to manage everything that was coming at her. She shared that she was often in tears because she was so overwhelmed. And she said it wasn’t just a little bit of crying. She was sobbing a couple of times a week. A search online somehow led her to our free webinar, and that’s where her STEP journey began! Although the toxic nature of that job environment didn’t change, she shared that she was able to receive everything that was given to her and organize it appropriately (prioritized in her STEP Command Central). Now, in her new position, she has two Command Centrals–one for work and one for home–and when she finishes her work week, she shuts down her computer and shifts into “home mode”–no longer worrying about all the tasks and projects because she knows they’re under control. I listened to the interview while out on a walk, and wow–what a gift that she was willing to share!
I hope that today’s episode has been both practical and hopeful for you. I know when you’re in the middle of chaos and emails and work projects and family struggles, it can feel like the world is on your shoulders. But I know that there is a way to manage the “stuff” of life so you can get the true rest you need.
And as a side note, I’m really grateful to be back here on the podcast. There were some moments when Eric and I wondered if I was ever going to get better. We didn’t know if our “new normal” was going to be me living on the couch. One afternoon, Eric said, “If this is our life from now on, I’m here for it. I’m here for you. But I really hope you can feel better soon.” I love this community, and I know I can’t see you as I’m writing or speaking, but I read your stories and comments, and I genuinely care for you.
Please stay close and watch for some exciting things that are about to be released! Eric and I have been working on a new, visual path for success at LearnDoBecome, plus brand-new Success Milestones inside our ARISE membership, so don’t miss that!
And we are opening our STEP Coaching membership on Thursday, February 5th 2026 to help you create and USE your STEP Command Central! The biggest request we’ve received over the years is for personalized support and more coaching, so we’ve created something really exciting to help you get results! (All the details can be found here!)
Related Links:
STEP Coaching Membership – Opening February 5, 2026!
Book – Rest – Why You Get More Done When You Work Less
Book – Sacred Rest
Podcast – Customizing STEP: Yaisa’s Real-Life Transformation
Video – Project Overwhelm Solved- Projects Pyramid
Free LearnDoBecome Community Facebook Group
YouTube Channel: Subscribe Here!
Brand new? Get the LearnDoBecome Welcome Kit here!
The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.
Fun (and Totally Free!) Training Recording: Clear The Space – LIVE!
Free Training, How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles
Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!