George Mack recently suggested that there is no such thing as being working too hard; there is just being under rested. Here is a short excerpt from the post:

“1. Winston Churchill used to work 16 hours per day in his old age during the war — but he also worked in bed every day until 11am. He had a nap after lunch, and a 2 hour nap before dinner at 8pm before working late into the night.

2. John. D Rockefeller took a 30 minute nap everyday at 12pm. No meeting was important enough to move this out of his calendar.

3. Advice I’d give my younger self: Don’t focus on energy output (working too hard). Focus on energy production (recharging activities). If you produce more energy than you burn, it’s impossible to burn out.

4. The person that is well rested might be able to work 16 hour days 6 days per week. The person who never works but scrolls TikTok all day can struggle to do 30 minutes without burning out.

5. Josh Waitzkin has this concept called the “Simmering Six”:

“Most people in high-stress, decision-making industries are always operating at this kind of simmering six, as opposed to the undulation between just deep relaxation and being at a 10. Being at a 10 is millions of times better than being at a 6. It’s just in a different universe.””

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I do not completely agree with this idea – I think a job devoid of meaning, recognition, or support can be debilitating regardless of rest – but it illustrates an important point: that we should include rest in any discussion of being overworked or burnout.

I have developed multiple running injuries over my life, and all of them were due to inadequate recovery. I was not running significantly more or harder than others, but I failed to prioritise areas such as nutrition, sleep, and mobility alongside the ‘work’. Yet when I presented to my physiotherapist, his immediate response was, “You were running too much.” I think we missed the broader picture.

The Chinese described this cycle of rest and work as Yin and Yang centuries ago and it still remains relevant today. If we feel overworked, we may simply be under rested. Perhaps better recovery, not less work, is the key.