From mensjournal.com
By Tom Ward
In a world obsessed with doing more, experts say downtime is the key to peak performance
I’ve been feeling a bit burned out lately. In general, there’s just a lot going on. I’m not talking about what’s on the news, but in my career and life. I’m training for two half marathons while also trying to improve my bouldering. I’m busier than ever with work, which is great (*grimace face*), my weekends are fully booked up with other people’s weddings and birthdays, and on top of it all, my car’s about to give up the ghost.
In Britain, we have a saying, ‘Keep calm and carry on’. I suppose the idea is to embrace stoicism. Stiff upper lip, and all that. To me, it sounds like a great way to have a heart attack, aneurysm, or both. Because, in a world that tells us we always need to be on, always need to be optimising, need to be earning and investing, getting up at 3 a.m. to work out, carving out time with our loved ones, studying and more, there’s very little time for you to, you know, sit with yourself and be happy.
I’m desperately in need of this. And maybe you are too, which is why I reached out to athletes, creatives, and experts to ask why burnout can feel inevitable, how it’s impacted them, and what we can all do about it.
Are We Doomed to Overwork?
Lewis Moses is an ultra runner and the director of Run Through coaching. As an athlete and a self-employed businessperson, he knows that it can be difficult to close the laptop at the end of the day.
“It’s easy to stay glued to the desk and just keep going; there’s no natural cut-off point, so the days blur together,” he says.
Worryingly, Moses has found that overworking has been detrimental to his health.
“When you’re burned out, the first things to slip are training and your wellbeing,” he says. “I’ve been there. You stop thinking clearly and start reacting instead of leading.”
Occasionally, the stress of balancing two careers has been so much that Moses says he’s been forced to stop and rethink how his week was structured. That extra run he was squeezing in was helping because his head was stuck on emails. And that extra hour at the desk wasn’t making him more productive, just more tired.
The Spillover Effect of Constant Stress
It’s something I can relate to; checking emails at 11 p.m. isn’t getting a head start on the next day’s work; it’s robbing yourself of your downtime, and almost ensuring you won’t be able to sleep because you’ll be up sweating inconsequential details that definitely could have waited until morning. And with the general lack of sleep and never being able to turn your brain off, you’re not able to show up the way you’re meant to. “On the personal side, you carry the stress home without meaning to; you’re shorter with people, or you’re half-listening because your brain’s still churning through tomorrow’s to-do list,” says Moses. Again, it’s something I can relate to. Instead of keeping work in my 9-5, it takes over my life to the point where it’s rare if I can enjoy a day off without thinking about it.
There might be another way. As a multi-hyphenate author, model, psychotherapist, and fitness instructor, Eloise Skinner says doing what she loves now is less stressful than when she was stuck in a corporate role in a past career.
“It was easier to feel exhausted because the work had a single focus,” she says. “Having lots of different careers allows for a frequent switch in focus. If I feel overwhelmed or stressed, I can usually switch into doing something completely different, which gives a bit of perspective and space.”
So how can we make the change?
Why Do Humans Need Downtime?
Speaking with her psychotherapist hat on, Skinner says that there are huge benefits to making ourselves take some downtime. “On a mental level, it can allow us to reduce our stress and anxiety levels, providing us with space to find perspective and new ways to look at problems or challenges,” she says.
I’m with her there; an actual holiday, like over the December break, often does wonders for my mind. Things that seemed important in late November are often forgotten about by January.
“I think we need downtime because the brain simply isn’t built to run flat-out all the time; it needs space to process and reset, the same way your legs need a rest day after a hard session,” says Moses.
He adds that, when he actually wants to switch off, he’ll go for a run with others, so that rather than being alone with his problem-obsessed brain, he has space for a normal, human conversation. It works wonders.
“Being ‘always on’ doesn’t make you sharper; it blunts you,” he says. “You get more reactive, less logical, and worse at the very things you’re working so hard to be good at.”
What the Research Says
As for studies on the benefits of downtime, a 2018 article in the journal Nature found that downtime can be supportive for brain health, providing our brain with space and time to consolidate memories and process information. Again, it’s all about that new perspective.
What’s more, a 2016 study from Florida Gulf Coast University seems to confirm this, suggesting that taking time off from physical activity allows us to spend more time in deep, internal thought.
Meanwhile, a 2022 study analysis confirmed that micro-breaks are “efficient in preserving high levels of vigour and alleviating fatigue.”
On the physical side, Skinner says that downtime allows us to relax, reducing the physiological impact of stress or anxiety like insomnia, muscle tension, and even digestive issues.
“When we’re constantly responding to emails, notifications, meetings and deadlines, we’re keeping our brain’s executive control network switched on,” says Scott Capelin, founder of inLIFE Wellness.
During periods of rest, however, another network called the default mode network (DMN) becomes more active. This network is involved in memory consolidation, self-reflection, problem solving, and creative insight.
“Many of our best ideas don’t happen while we’re staring at a screen,” adds Capelin. “They arrive during a walk, in the shower, or while driving home.”
In other words, being always ‘on’ keeps our stress response activated. And, as Capelin explains, while short bursts of stress can improve performance, chronic activation elevates cortisol and can impair our mood, decision-making, creativity and relationships.
“People often assume they’ll get more done by working longer, but cognitive performance actually declines when the brain isn’t given opportunities to recover,” he says, adding that one of the biggest casualties of constant busyness is creativity.
How Can I Find Balance?
If all of the above is setting off alarm bells in your head, it’s probably time to slow down, reassess, and ask yourself how you can take your foot off the gas somewhat moving forward. Capelin has some tips:
Plan Your Week, Not Just Your Day
Before the week begins, block out periods that are intentionally unscheduled. If every hour has a task attached to it, your brain never gets the chance to recover.
Create Small “Buffer Zones”
Leave 10 to 15 minutes between meetings or appointments instead of running back-to-back all day. Those small gaps reduce mental fatigue and improve focus for the next task.
Accept That Not Everything Deserves Your Attention
Many people carry around an endless list of low-value tasks. Ask yourself: ‘If this wasn’t on my list already, would I choose to do it today?’ If the answer is no, it probably isn’t essential.
Schedule Device-Free Time
Even 30 to 60 minutes without notifications, email, or social media allows your brain to shift out of reactive mode. You don’t have to meditate. Reading, walking, gardening, or simply sitting quietly can provide the same restorative effect.
Revisit Your Long-Term Goals Regularly
Many people become busy chasing commitments that no longer align with what’s most important to them. A monthly review helps eliminate obligations that create activity without creating progress.
Practice Letting Small Things Go
Some people benefit from deliberately leaving a non-essential email unanswered until tomorrow or allowing a minor task to remain unfinished. It can feel uncomfortable initially, but it teaches your brain that not everything is urgent. Over time, this reduces the constant sense of pressure that keeps many people mentally switched on.
Ultimately, he says that downtime isn’t the opposite of productivity; it’s one of the conditions that makes sustained productivity possible.
“The goal isn’t to do less, it’s to recover well enough that the time you do spend working is more focused, creative and effective.”
Of course, if it were that easy, you wouldn’t be reading this article. Feeling guilty about taking time off is a real thing, but one we should try to overcome. “If we really struggle to justify taking time out, it can help to plan some downtime that feels structured and organised,” says Skinner.
Try planning a weekend away, then you still have the structure your brain likes, but you’ve applied it to something restorative—not just clearing out your email inbox.
“Scheduling downtime can be the first step to unwinding tension about always needing to be working,” says Skinner.
And don’t we all deserve a bit more of that?
https://www.mensjournal.com/health/why-downtime-beats-burnout-expert-guide
