Chapter 328 - Strategic Laziness As A Leverage Point[5] (1/2)

Let's pretend you love Indian food. You love it more than your spouse and your kids. You love it so much you'd bathe in mango chutney if you could afford that much mango chutney.

Now, let's say you go out to your favorite Indian spot and engorge yourself. We're talking on the order of 4,000 to 5,000 calories in one sitting. Like Monty Python in ”The Meaning of Life” type gluttony.

Now, imagine you roll yourself out of the restaurant, and then someone comes up and offers you some fresh samosas and chutney (or maybe a thin mint). How would you feel?

We've all been in that state where we overeat a food we like and then the mere thought of that food for the following week makes us nauseous and we question the meaning of our own existence.

But then, a week later, Indian food doesn't sound so bad. And then about another week or two later, you're all geared up to go back to your favorite Indian spot and stuff yourself blind all over again.

Your brain works the same way with productivity.

See, solving problems is like food for your mind. It makes your mind happy. It makes it feel important and worthy and capable—all things directly linked to happiness.

But solving problems is to your mind as food is to your stomach. It needs a variety of stimulation and too much of one kind will cause it to get sick and tired.

But what's amazing is that this leisure time—this ability to distract one's brain away from problem-solving and work, actually makes your brain far more effective upon returning to work.

I know, I know—it's crazy, but weekends and vacation really do exist for a reason.

When I started my business in 2008, I was a bona fide work-a-holic. I was pulling 14-15 hour days and rarely taking days off. And although I traveled constantly, I rarely took ”vacations” per se. It was more like, ”hey, that beach looks like a really beautiful place to check my email for the next two hours.”