“Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength… It is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.” – Charles Spurgeon
I read this quote about a week or so ago during my morning quiet time, and the concept of doing more by doing less struck me greatly. But like many things, I thought to myself, Huh, that’s an interesting paradox, and that was that.
However, I’ve been slightly under the weather this past week; being holed up under my blanket on my couch keeping warm (I guess I should turn my heater higher!) forced me to take a break from my normal, which reminded me of this quote and its importance. We tend to equate busyness with meaningful purpose. I know for a serial list-maker like me, this is especially true: sitting down at the end of the day, checking off all the tasks I’ve managed to accomplish feels great! But it can also be a trap. It’s so easy to chalk up one’s purposefulness to the number of errands completed. The truth of the matter is that completing tasks do not necessarily equal a meaningful life. Sometimes, life requires periods of rest (however forced this rest is… read: sickness) that allow us to gear up to be more productive down the line. In taking time out for rest and rejuvenation, we’re actually taking time to do more, by sometimes doing less.