The compelling case for working a lot less

non-stop activity isn’t the apotheosis of productivity. It is its adversary.... the work we produce at the end of a 14-hour day is of worse quality than when we’re fresh... undermines our creativity and our cognition... make us feel physically sick... For people over 40, research found that a 25-hour work week may be optimal for cognition... elite musicians, authors and athletes, never dedicate more than five hours a day ... take recuperative naps... taking short breaks from a task helped ... performing at a high level...
the part of the brain that activates when you’re doing ‘nothing’... default-mode network (DMN), plays a crucial role in memory consolidation and envisioning the future... helps you recognise the deeper importance of situations... birthplace of creativity, the DMN lights up when you’re making associations ... coming up with original ideas... where your ‘ah-ha’ moments lurk...
if we don’t take time to turn our attention inward, we lose a crucial element of happiness... just doing things without making meaning out of it... you don’t have to do absolutely nothing ... rest is important. But so is active reflection... visualising hypothetical outcomes or imagined scenarios... getting lost in a good book ...
When both adults and children were sent outdoors, without their devices, for four days... creativity and problem-solving improved by 50%... taking just one walk, preferably outside... significantly increase creativity... Any other tasks that don’t require 100% concentration also can help, like knitting or doodling.