In today’s fast-paced, always-on world, it’s easy to fall into the trap of viewing recovery as a luxury rather than a necessity. It’s often seen as something frivolous, or something that we reserve for weekends if we’re lucky, or when we finally get around to our annual leave… only to be wiped out with an illness on day one of our holidays.
Our days are typically inundated with constant demands and distractions, leaving little time for the recovery our brains and bodies need to thrive. However, this ‘always on’ approach is counterproductive and unsustainable, ultimately undermining our ability to perform at our peak.
As humans we have some biological constraints that we simply cannot outperform. We have to work in congruence, not in conflict with our Human Operating System (hOS), which is how we’re neurobiologically designed to operate. We’re simply not designed to be ‘always on’. We’re not designed to constantly sprint. We’re not designed to operate feeling exhausted. Instead, we need to work with our hOS. To do so, we need to adhere to a pattern of effort and recovery, effort and recovery, effort and recovery throughout our days and weeks. This is what science tells us we need to get to achieve peak-performance, without succumbing to chronic exhaustion or burnout, or paying other forms of the ‘success tax’ (working in a way that compromises our physical health, mental wellbeing and/or relationships).
Recent research highlights the critical role of proactive rest in enhancing performance. According to Gartner’s 2022 findings, proactive rest can lead to a 26% increase in performance. In stark contrast, 22% of employees who neglect proactive rest experience burnout, compared to just 2% who embrace it.
These compelling statistics underscore the urgent need to reframe our understanding of recovery. It’s not about indulging in long moments of relaxation. Rather, research shows that regular, brief breaks, what I refer to as ‘piccolo breaks’ are the most effective at beating burnout.
Recovery is your performance superpower
In Dear Digital, We need to talk, I proposed that there are three types of breaks, or patterns of recovery that we need to include in our operational cadences if we want to tackle stress and burnout and achieve sustainable peak-performance. I use a coffee analogy to explain that we need piccolo, tall and grande breaks.
Don’t get me wrong, long days spent at the beach on holidays and day spa visits are fabulous and some of my own recovery strategies, but they’re not enough on their own. Dr Adam Faser’s research also suggests that these ‘grande breaks’ are not sufficient if they’re done sporadically, or only when you’re approaching exhaustion. Instead, it’s about integrating strategic rest into our routine as a core component of high-performance. In writing Dear Digital, We need to talk, Dr Fraser told me, “Our research shows that by far the most common strategy people cited to help them manage burnout was taking a longer break from work in the form of a holiday. Unfortunately, the benefits of a break or holiday have been shown to disappear three to four weeks after that person returns to work. The most successful model we have found to prevent burnout revolves around getting people to practice short, regular and consistent bursts of recovery. We can no longer rely on holidays to solve our burnout issues; the modern-day worker must learn how to recover on the go.”
Recovery paradox
The ‘recovery paradox’ or ‘weekend paradox’ suggests that the people who need to recover and rest from their work tend to find that recovery most challenging or elusive. This is often what hampers high-achievers’ from sustaining their performance: they don’t tend to prioritise the recovery they really need and instead, keep pushing on. When you have a stressful job, the odds are stacked against you to take time to recover.
Reframe recovery as a peak-performance pit stop
I’ve always been fascinated by what happens during race car pit stops. They’re frenetic and precisely executed, and there are dire consequences if they’re skipped. This has led me to ponder, why do racing drivers still take pit stops still in 2024? Why, in one of the most high-stakes race formats in the world, do they spend precious time refuelling, changing tyres, performing repairs and making mechanical adjustments? Surely these supreme vehicles and well-trained drivers can finish the race without a pit stop? Well they could perhaps crawl to the finish line, but race cars want to cross the finish line in an optimal state.
As knowledge workers, we need to act like racing drivers – who also strive for peak-performance, by taking regular pit stops. If you want to thrive in the digital world, you need to be intentional about taking breaks. You need to prioritise and value recovery.
We factor in time for machines to undergo maintenance. We take our cars to get serviced. We charge our laptops. We update our phones’ operating systems. We do all these things to improve our machines’ performance. So, why don’t we do the same for ourselves?
Just as athletes rely on rest periods to enhance their training, knowledge workers must prioritise recovery to maximise their cognitive and emotional capabilities. Rest is a responsibility, not a reward, and recognising this shift in perspective is crucial for optimising and sustaining human performance at work (and beyond).
You simply cannot outperform your hOS
From a neurobiological standpoint, we’re designed for a rhythm of effort and recovery. Our brains and bodies function optimally when we work in alignment with our ultradian rhythms, which suggest that our energy and focus cycle through peaks and troughs approximately every 90 minutes. Following a period of high intensity, a 20-minute recovery phase allows us to recharge and maintain peak performance. Ignoring this natural rhythm leads to diminishing returns and increased risk of burnout.
Knowledge work is an endurance activity, requiring sustained cognitive effort and focus. Unlike sprinting, which involves short bursts of intense activity, knowledge work demands a steady, long-term energy and engagement. This makes recovery even more critical. High achievers often overlook the importance of recovery, mistakenly focusing solely on productivity and effort. However, the reality is clear: if we never fully disengage and recover, we can never truly perform nor be at our best.
In my work with high-performers, I’ve seen firsthand how neglecting recovery can impact performance. To counter this, with my Executive Coaching clients in Elevated and in my corporate group coaching program, Optimised, I’m using a neuro-technology tool, which is the WHOOP strap to monitor key biometric data including their recovery. This wearable device tracks critical metrics that biologically measure a person’s recovery, including their sleep performance, heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate, and resting heart rate. By tracking and analysing these indicators, we can objectively assess an individual’s recovery status and make informed adjustments to enhance performance. We use their wearable data to confirm if they’re powered-up or down. We then apply brain-based protocols that have been scientifically-validated to optimise recovery and performance.
The objective data from WHOOP offers valuable insights into an individual’s unique recovery needs. For instance, if a client’s HRV is low or their sleep quality is poor, it may be time to prioritise recovery and adjust their workloads, where possible. These metrics help tailor recovery strategies to each person’s specific biological needs, ensuring that they are genuinely recharging and preparing for their next peak-performance period, rather than simply pushing on and fatiguing themselves further or perpetually under-performing.
To truly excel, we must align our work habits with our hOS—the biological system designed for effort and recovery. Ignoring this fundamental aspect of our physiology will only lead to diminished performance and increased risk of burnout. By integrating strategic recovery into our routines, we can ensure that we’re working smarter, not harder. Embracing recovery as a fundamental part of our performance strategy will enable us to sustain high levels of achievement while maintaining our well-being.
Reframing recovery as an integral component of peak-performance rather than a mere luxury is essential. Proactive rest is not just about taking a break; it’s about optimising our biological rhythms and ensuring that we can sustain our best work over the long term. By leveraging wearable devices, like WHOOP, we can easily track and enhance our recovery, we can align our efforts with our neurobiological needs and achieve lasting success.
I help high-performing teams optimise and sustain their performance using wearable devices and neuroscience in Optimised: Powered-Up Performers Coaching Program (a 3-month group coaching program) and in my one-day workshop Ignite: Spark Your Next Level of Performance that I’m running in Sydney later in 2024 and deliver in-house at workplaces throughout Australia. Reach out if you’re interested to power-up your team with science-backed solutions and biometric data.
Sources
A Fraser, ‘The perfect storm of burnout’, Dr Adam Fraser blog, 16 November 2021, dradamfraser.com/blog-content/2021/11/16/rechargeable.
S Sonnentag, ‘The recovery paradox: portraying the complex interplay between job stressors, lack of recovery, and poor well-being’, Research in Organizational Behavior, vol. 38, 2018, pp. 169–185.
K Goodwin (2022). Dear Digital, We need to talk, Major Street, Melbourne.
