I was reading a brilliant blog article from author and blogger Kevin Kelly: 103 Bits of Advice.

He turned 70 and shared pearls of wisdom from a life well-lived.

It’s well worth reading in its entirety, but one passage stood out to me:

“Efficiency is highly overrated; Goofing off is highly underrated. Regularly scheduled sabbaths, sabbaticals, vacations, breaks, aimless walks and time off are essential for top performance of any kind. The best work ethic requires a good rest ethic.”

For example, many people praise a hardened work ethic, the coffee-infused, all-night sprints.

In addition, it is true that putting in the necessary hours yields excellent results. However, there is a natural limit, doing too much for too long will result in declining results, the law of diminishing marginal returns.

In order to achieve true continuous performance, we must take care of ourselves.

Resting should be given the same level of importance as the other items on our to-do list.

The best work ethic requires a good rest ethic.

So, in order to be in good health, we must get enough sleep.