Resting for Intellectual Workers

Too many apps installed on your phone or computer can cause lag, overheating, and even blue screens.
The same is true for people.
Often, fatigue among intellectual workers stems from information overload and disorganized thinking.
The key to resting your brain is to reduce burdens and restore order, not simply to rest.

Establish a system to regularly clear out the “junk” in your brain and reduce the consumption of meaningless “noise” by cognitive resources, just as you would regularly clear the garbage on your phone or computer.

Practice reduction, maintaining the “singleness” and “certainty” of your tasks and desires

Chasing multiple rabbits simultaneously, wanting too much, and creating too much uncertainty for yourself are among the biggest culprits that disrupt inner order.
Maintaining singleness and certainty in your tasks and desires helps reduce the loss of decision-making and hesitation, maintains focus, and fosters a flow experience.
To achieve this, you often need a personal philosophy of success to overcome the instinctive urge to do too much and everything.

Update Your “Self-Talk” to Reduce “Emotional Labor”

Research has long proven that in modern society, it’s not physical or mental labor that causes fatigue, but emotional labor.
The conversation you have with yourself is crucial.
Many people’s daily self-talk often goes something like this: “Oh, so many unfinished tasks today! It looks like I’m off my goal again.”
It’s filled with guilt, self-blame, and doubt.
After upgrading, your self-talk isn’t “How much did I leave unfinished today?” but “How much did I accomplish today?”
It’s like a half-full glass of water. Before upgrading your self-talk, you saw “only half the glass,” but after upgrading, you see “still half the glass.”
Liberate yourself from the guilt, self-blame, and doubt caused by the desire for more, faster results, and perfectionism.
Instead, you gain a sense of accomplishment and confidence that daily progress is just a matter of time before success.

Recording Goal Confirmation

This is a method I use: Based on your annual goals, write down the core concepts and methods you believe are most important for achieving them. Record it and listen to it every night before bed and every time you wake up. When listening to recordings, your attention and thoughts are forced to “converge” on these “important information,” shutting off random thoughts.
This is very helpful for establishing a solid inner order and is also a great way to promote sleep.
Your goal is to make every action and every thought nourishing, rather than exhausting.

Vary tasks and environments to give your brain a “resting” state.

Different tasks correspond to different thinking styles and circuits.

Varying tasks and environments allows tired brain areas to rest and allows less tired brain areas to activate.

The brain always needs something to do. Instead of letting it work unconsciously, it’s better to proactively find tasks for it.

The advice from my school teachers about “changing your mind” still applies to those who work with brains.

Don’t work on one task for five hours straight, stopping only when you’re exhausted.

Before you feel tired, take a conscious, proactive break.

Design some enjoyable “rewarding” tasks that bring you relief, such as reading a book or cleaning. Design tasks that engage your senses and force you to slow down, such as writing, cooking, or looking at distant scenery. Use these tasks to cut through the flood of information.

Alternate between tasks that require and don’t require mental effort, and tasks that require and don’t require focus.

You don’t need to try to rest by lying down, but rather find something to do to relax your tense nerves.

Exercise, cultivate habits, and strengthen the foundation and framework of inner energy and order.

Physical strength is the foundation of mental strength.

Aerobic exercise, such as running, swimming, and hiking, enhances cardiopulmonary function. Moving expands your mental and physical capacity.

I jog (5-10 kilometers) at least three times a week, a habit I’ve maintained for many years.

Many problems and concepts have been “thought through” and “developed” during running.

Secondly, develop a clear and stable sleep and rest routine, striving to “do the same thing at the same time.” This is essentially honing a framework of “inner order” that works for you. On the basis of building a solid foundation and framework, learn to reduce unnecessary “physical labor”. When working, lie down instead of sitting if you can, and sit instead of standing if you can, with “energy saving and comfort” as the first priority.