Sharpen Your Axe

I recently watched a beautiful and simple video essay on rest. I won't repeat all the points here, as you should take the 8 minutes to watch it yourself. But there was one fable in it that caught my attention, and I wanted to commit the lesson to writing for my future self. The story goes like this:

There was once a young woodcutter who wanted to be the best in the world. After some time of practice and study, he challenged an older lumberjack to a wood-chopping contest: in one full day, who could chop the most wood?

The young woodcutter worked and worked all day, chopping furiously. Often when he looked over at the older woodcutter, he would see him sitting, resting, drinking tea, etc. The young man thought for sure he would win. But when they measured the wood at the end of the day, the old lumberjack had far more to show for his effort.

When asked how he did it, the older man said, "Every time I sat and rested, I sharpened my axe."

I've written before about the importance of rest. This short parable captured everything that can and should be said. Rest isn't laziness. Rest isn't earned through hard work. Rest comes first, and getting to work hard is the reward.

But the story raises an important question: how can I best sharpen my axe? Here are a few strategies that have worked for me:

1. Add rhythm to your days. I often make time for a mid-day nidra nap, which allows me to tackle the afternoon with as much freshness and focus as any peak productivity hours.
2. Every day, schedule time to read, reflect, and disconnect from work.
3. Protect the rhythm of your weeks. Weekends are for rest. Don't over-schedule them. Don't let FOMO make you feel guilty for accomplishing nothing.
4. Disconnect. If you are lucky enough to have paid vacation, use it. Don't be the shortsighted worker who hoards time off in the hope of getting paid out. Vacation allows you to be your best and expand your life experiences. But most importantly, unplugging from your daily grind is the only way to know if you're truly focused on the right things. There is no value in charging forward as quickly as possible if you're pointed in the wrong direction.

Do you make intentional time to sharpen your axe? Have you taken the necessary steps to protect your rest as if your life depends on it? I would love to hear your strategies and how they've worked out for you.