😌 Effective rest

If you live in the United States, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced at least one “staycation” over the last several years. In all likelihood, the experience left you feeling more exhausted than restored by the time you went back to work – and doubly so if you have young children.

That said, I think I’ve cracked the code on effective “staycations”. I now find myself taking between one to three of these a year – allowing me to focus on myself, my family and friends, as well as my responsibilities outside of work.

This week I wanted to share how I manage to make “staycations” a fulfilling and restorative experience.

Whether you’re taking a “staycation” due to the cost of travel, a requirement to use the time, or a desire to get things done – I hope the thoughts shared this week are useful to you.

Please note: this newsletter adheres to Daniel Miessler’s AI Influence Level (AIL) Zero

Plan for productivity; start by creating a list of things you need (and want) to accomplish during your “staycation” – and be sure to include relaxing/enjoyable activities. Having a list will allow you to distribute chores and restorative activities such that you experience both accomplishment and recovery.

Don’t overlook the little things; sometimes even small chores create outsized cognitive load. Need to setup that appointment you’ve been putting off? Add it to your list and feel a sense of relief when you cross it off.

Reward yourself; after you’ve checked some amount of productive items off your list for the day, make a point to enjoy those relaxing experiences. I find that doing one to three productive things per day, and at least one relaxing or restorative thing, allows me to return to work feeling both accomplished and re-energized.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. “While the elite used magic to build their palaces and fuel their lavish lives, ordinary people suffered. That was the crux of the argument for the revolution. The world and its resources belonged to everyone, they said—which included everything kept locked up inside the Great Library. All that knowledge, the power to make lives better, was shelved away. Reserved for use by only the wealthy, when it should belong to everyone.” In spite of the quote, this is probably the coziest story I’ve ever read. I highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for something delightful.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. “I remember one time I looked for the stone for almost an hour before I consented to ask the other half of me where I’d hidden it, only to find I hadn’t hidden the stone at all. I had merely been waiting to see how long I would look before giving up. Have you ever been annoyed and amused with yourself at the same time? It’s an interesting feeling, to say the very least.” I’ve read this book at least seven times now, and will likely read it an eighth time before the year is out; it continues to fill me with wonder.

For All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose. “Tea met all the definitions of intellectual property: It was a product of high commercial value; it was manufactured using a formula and process unique to China, which China protected fiercely; and it gave China a vast advantage over its competitors.” A wonderful history of what is considered one of the world’s greatest acts of espionage – Great Britain’s theft of Tea plants from China.

Audiobooks vs. books in the brain (thank you, Kaia!). “Scientists have found that reading and listening to books stimulates the same parts of the brain.” Neat! I would have thought that listening to audiobooks was a less intellectually engaging activity.

Anthropic Disrupts AI-Powered Cyberattacks Automating Theft and Extortion Across Critical Sectors. I feel like many of us knew this was going to happen eventually, but perhaps had not realized it would be happening at scale so quickly. In the predator/prey relationship of cybersecurity, I believe LLMs will guarantee that “predators” thrive.

I Know When You’re Vibe Coding (thank you, Artur!). “I want you to care”. This is the essence of how I feel about LLMs, and how people choose to use them. I want people using LLMs to care about the outputs they produce, and both the upstream and downstream impacts they may have on others.

One to three times a year I try to take a “staycation” in order to focus on side projects, skill development, hobbies, seasonal chores, time with family/friends, and so forth – not to mention saving a bit of cash due to how costly traveling has become.

The challenge I have with using vacation time this way is that I want to feel both productive and restored by the end of it. I can’t stand feeling like I’ve wasted the time.

Over the past year I’ve started keeping a literal checklist of things on my phone that I want to accomplish during upcoming “staycations”. My experience so far is that by checking things off the list (both chores and restorative activities), I end up feeling profoundly rejuvenated by the time I go back to work.

Have you taken a “staycation” recently?

What did you do to make the most of your time away from work?

Let me know what you think.

– Keith