Today in 3 minutes or less:

• 📊 The Intensity-Rest Equation

• 🗿 The Marble And Sculptor

• 🐁 Enter The Maze

• 🌐 Smarter, Stronger, Healthier, & Wiser

• ⚡ Man Morning Question

📊 The Intensity-Rest Equation

Bill Gates (worth over $100 billion) and Arianna Huffington (worth an estimated $100 million), are prime examples of a massive contradiction.

In a college commencement speech, Gates shared this advice with graduates:

"You are not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack."

He stressed the value of taking breaks and self-care.

Huffington is a strong advocate for sleep and has even written a book on the subject.

In interviews she tells a story of pushing herself to her limits while building The Huffington Post.

This resulted in a broken cheekbone when she collapsed at her desk.

Interestingly, we hear about the importance of rest, sleep, and breaks from successful people only after they did the exact opposite in their rise to success.

So which is it?

Rest and breaks? Or hustle hard and do intensive work?

Intensity Is Required

While rest is essential, it's just as critical to appreciate the need for intense, focused periods of work.

The pursuit of greatness requires concentrated effort and dedication.

It's during these intense periods that we make progress, realize breakthroughs, and extraordinary achievements are realized.

To live a fulfilling life, we must balance rest and intensity, often leaning more towards intensity.

Here are 5 strategies to help maintain this unique balance:

1. Set Work and Rest Cycles

Create rhythms in your life that alternate periods of focused work with dedicated rest.

Build time blocks into your schedule (for a day, week, or month) for deep work and prioritize breaks for rejuvenation.

2. Embrace Intentional Intensity

Eliminate distractions, set ambitious goals, and fully engage in tasks that align with your priorities during periods that are reserved for deep work.

Include intentional rest during periods of intensity to maintain a sustainable rhythm.

3. Prioritize Sleep and Recovery

Make restorative sleep a non-negotiable to recharge your body and mind.

Create a sleep-friendly environment and establish a pre-bedtime routine.

4. Practice Mindful Rest

Incorporate short breaks throughout your day for mindful rest.

Engage in activities like deep breathing, stretching, or meditation to replenish energy.

5. Set Boundaries

Protect your time and energy by refusing nonessential commitments that don’t align with your goals and well-being.

Saying no enables you to create space for rest and focused work.

Intensity and rest are not opposing forces.

They’re complementary elements in our pursuit of greatness that allow you to achieve what’s most important.

Implement these strategies to find your balance between rest and intensity.

5 Books To Help Do Intensive Work

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

The War of Art

High Performance Habits

The One Thing

Digital Minimalism

🗿 The Marble And Sculptor

🐁 Enter The Maze

🌐 Smarter, Stronger, Healthier, & Wiser

📆 The Daily Routines of Famous Creatives

🎧 How To Get People To Do What You Want

📚 Feel Great, Lose Weight

😵‍💫 Why You Should Give Up On Your Dreams

👻 1.5 million Japanese Men Have Completely Withdrawn From Society

⚡ The Man Morning Question

For you to consider this week:

If you hired the absolute best consultant in the world to observe your life for 7 days, what would he tell you to change to improve it?

Reply to this email or drop a comment with your thoughts about this question.