Time Off: A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without the Stress

by John Fitch, Max Frenzel, Mariya Suzuki (Illustrator)

Discover the transformative power of leisure to recapture your calm and creativity. We live in a time where busyness is often seen as a badge of honor. But are your busiest days really the ones that make you feel the most accomplished? If all of your hard work isn't working, it might be time to question the common assumption that “busy” = “productive.” After reaching breaking points in their careers, business coach John Fitch and AI researcher Max Frenzel both learned the critical importance of taking time off. Now these former workaholics are here to help you revolutionize the way you get things done. Time A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without the Stress reveals how history’s greatest minds, as well as some of the most successful leaders, thinkers, and creatives of today, found success by practicing a more balanced approach to work and life. Embracing their insights on how constant hustle can be your worst enemy, you will realize that time off means much more than just taking a break. By learning how to slow down, you will rediscover a more fulfilled and versatile version of yourself and unlock your true creative potential. In Time Off , you’ll Reshaping the way you think about work and leisure, Time Off is a reinvigorating guide to doing more by laboring less. If you like relatable personal anecdotes, historically-sound approaches to downtime, and scientifically-backed strategies for increasing your creativity, then you’ll love John Fitch and Max Frenzel’s life-changing resource. Get Time Off – for yourself or as a gift to the busy people in your life – as a healthy reminder to put down the busywork and pick up what actually matters most to you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Psychology, Productivity, Self Help, Personal Development, Health

366 pages, Paperback

Published May 20, 2020

Reviews

[Pistachio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you a knowledge worker, creative worker or leader these days? You have to read this!

Amazing collection of stories, thoughts, clever people and ways how to approach life (how to live and how to work altogether).

[Theodora (paper.bag.reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never have I made so many annotations in a non-fiction piece of writing. So so wonderful and important and eye-opening (or rather, re-opening)

[Carolyn Fitzpatrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good advice. But most of it is fairly common, and the book as a whole is aimed at a very specific segment of the population.

First the good advice:
+ Work should be about what you are getting done, not the hours that you log.
+ Multitasking and frequent interruptions prevent deep creative thought and problem solving, while solitude and nature helps.
+ Sleep more. People overestimate how well they preform on less than seven hours of sleep.
+ All exercise is good, but consist low-key exercise is more beneficial than pushing yourself.
+ Technology is distracting - go analog whenever possible.

Now the concerns...

This books is aimed at people in upper management and accomplished artists. There is a quote early on that made me cringe a bit - about an 8 hour day for a knowledge worker is like a 16 hours day for an industrial laborer. Working 8 hours a day doing monotonous physical work is very taxing, and shouldn't be portrayed as less mentally strenuous than creativity. Their arguments are also very much about profitability, not ethics. By working less, creatives (specifically) will be able to produce more. They mention that Henry Ford made the same discovery concerning his factory workers but none of the modern day examples are about people making an hourly wage.

Women and minorities may not feel comfortable with a lot of the advice. Solitude and nature can be dangerous. Tech is needed for safety. A lot of people can't just stroll quietly down the street, alone with their thoughts. You have to get on the phone or text with someone, leaving breadcrumbs in case something bad happens. And you have to be there for your friends too when they find themselves alone. Friendship means being willing to interrupt your work and give up your solitude to help keep them safe. Because that aspect of solitude and tech is not mentioned, cis white males (still the majority of upper management and creative professionals) are left happily in their bubble, thinking that all of this is just a matter of personal choice.

There is no acknowledgement of the need for social activism for all this. The one time that maternity leave is brought up, it is to describe a woman who used her time off to get a degree and score a promotion. This may be better than forcing women to stay home permanently after having a child, but it is not what maternity leave is for! Meanwhile a man in the book as held up as a good example for taking a six year hiatus after his child was born. There is lots of talk about finding peaceful places to recharge, when a lot of people don't even have a room to themselves, the money to buy tech or go on vacations, or access to adequate child care. Increasing minimum wage, ensuring that people aren't priced out of housing, providing paid maternity leave... All of these would make it easier for people to get the amount of rest they need to be healthy and productive. But there is no mention of political or social initiatives.

At the very end, when I was more than ready to be done with this book, they had to bring up the "Financial Independence, Retire Early" movement. Their example was of a guy who made it work and retired at 30 - because he spent his 20s pulling in a $70K salary, and his wife was doing the same. I spent most of my 20s unemployed or underemployed. I'm also leery of advising people to choose a job that pays well just so that they can leave it in 10 years. Most careers pay far less than $70K, and they are essential jobs for the economy. Now that their example guy can live off his residuals, maybe he should go be a public school teacher, custodian, cop, or paramedic.

In conclusion... the book makes a great argument that freelancers and CEOs should not immerse themselves in work. But the focus is on empowered individuals making choices for themselves. A lot of the advice encourages the reader to ignore societal realities.

[Tomasz Onyszko · Rating 4 out of 5]

My take: It is good idea to pick this book instead of next "productivity" book on your list!

It is not a definite guide, but rather a pointer for you that:
* Rest is good and it is not something to be ashamed off
* We lost it somewhere in our business
* Ideas to explore and try to retain the balance

With that - I picked it up from random Tweet, also part of it was to support indie book.

It turned out to be good read, even if I know / read most of the things it covers. Still enjoyed it.
Book covers the topic of "approach to rest" in our busy world. It does it in a patter of:
* Topic
* Profile of person who dealt with this topic and how
* Recommendation or tip (not always present)

Through the book this pattern started to annoy me a bit, but maybe because I knew some of these examples and also I knew what to expect from this pattern. Book is also a compilation of sources so if something will get your interest you can follow-up the other book or author mentioned to dig deeper.

One additional thought after reading it: All profiles presented are of well established, successful people and example how they manage their life to have "time off". All books uses such profiles to prove their point, but it would be good to get to know how "busy" "joe" managed it as well. It would be good to read a book with extraordinary, ordinary people as example instead of entrepreneurs and celebrities.

[Niall Rundle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Game Changer

This book has given me a new and different outlook on life and work. I've read many self improvement books which have focused on delivering results and achieving more in a work setting. However, this book for me is a game changer. It takes a wide variety of sources to demonstrate the point, it is relatable and doesn't come across as preachy. I would highly recommend this book. It is an easy read and could change your life.

[Mihai Leonte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should have been a couple of articles.

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and insightful book on the importance of integrating Time Off as a key factor into our lives. Starting with historical developments around leisure, factory-work, social classes and our current working mantras, the writers move towards a Time Off philosophy and examples.

[Tomas Pasek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read self-development books, but this one was just great. A mind opening book that should be read by every manager, executive or any 9-5 employee. I personally made several great steps in my career inspired by this piece. Thanks!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would make a great gift for the workaholics in your life.

As someone who always feels the need and pressure to be busy at work (otherwise I feel guilty), I really enjoyed this book as it helped me rethink and question this need/pressure and whether or not busy = better. I also like how the book was broken up into sections with little stories/examples in each section. These small easily digestible pieces made the book fun and easy to read.

[Charty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book whose ideas and aspirations are what this world needs, now. It’s a lot to digest but because they realize how our Protestant work ethic and addiction to technology have broken our brains, they break down each idea into a palatable chunk, often with a frontispiece about a particular person with a quote that embodies the concepts being presented. Tastefully illustrated as a nice, visual break from the text, each leading person is offered in a quick sketch. Interspersed throughout are prompts and exercises for the reader to consider but this doesn’t come close to being a workbook or instruction manual, more a big picture, concept driven narrative that invites the reader to reflect and dream on their own as tp how they would develop their own rest ethic, and how to implement it in their own lives.

If I have any criticism it’s this advice and way of living isn’t very practical or applicable to those working multiple jobs just to make ends meet, or those whose work is production driven. Still, while those workers maybe can’t benefit from all the concepts I do think there’s value in considering how any reader could incorporate changes in their lives for the better even if it’s just getting more/enough sleep.

[Martin Iotchev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating this a 3/5, but depending on who you are, this might be higher or lower.

If you are someone who is struggling in the daily grind and are engrossed in "hustle" culture, this might be a good change of pace for you and reveal some new avenues to explore in your work and rest ethic.

If you are someone who has read other works in the vein of "rest is good" and don't subscribe to the hustle mindset, then this book will probably not offer anything new.

I was quite excited to read through this book, but I found myself just skimming through the last 1/2 of the book. The list of actual ideas is very short and could easily fit in a longer blog post (ie, a lot of fluff in this book).

The format of the book includes a bunch of anecdotes about the lives of certain people and how they incorporated time off as a means to improving their work. Some of these examples are a bit cherry-picked in my opinion and after a while it gets somewhat boring since the anecdotes themselves are quite shallow.

The examples also apply to a very select audience - you need to be in a position where you can actually afford time off and you are given time off from work. If you're someone who is barely making ends meet day-to-day, this book will probably feel like a slap in the face.

[Paul Forster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly practical guide that allows you to ruminate while approaching your leisure/rest/time off.

I enjoyed how individuals' philosophies were the corner stone of moving the text forwards. From Aristotle to Marie Kondo, the insights were gentle but had real impact.

The tips at the end of chapters encouraging reflection and implementation of the different methods and ideologies were great. Gonna put them in a mini book and work through them.

The end of the book dragged as they veered into the Technology section, and as tech entrepreneurs I understand why they included it, but it was much more speculative and less useful than the rest of the book.

[Colin Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book planning to read it while away on holiday, which felt appropriately meta. The book is probably aimed at knowledge workers and sets out the importance of creating and balancing a rest ethic alongside a work ethic.

It looks at this in several sections, exploring vignettes of people living and dead, and some that the authors interviewed. This looks at some of the empirical data around these issues, and the opinions and experiences of these individuals.

I enjoyed the book and found it very useful in its perspectives. I did sometimes find the tone a little jarring and hinting that the authors didn't always understand the priviledged position of some of the case studies.

For instance, we are told that one of the authors didn't have the sterotypical stressful time writing up their PhD thesis because they travelled to Greece and hired a place in which to do the writing and a moped to travel about. I think it is fair to observe that not many PhD researchers would be able to enjoy such a luxurious arrangement.

Some of the advice and perspectives will probably grate on those who have limited autonomy in setting their own working arrangements, but it is the case that some of the advice will be useful for such people too.

I couldn't help but be a bit amused by the account of the professor who the authors seem to think is endearingly difficult to contact by email. While that may not be an uncommon academic trope I'm sure not all students and colleagues will equally appreciate this. Similarly, we learn to the apparent approval of the authors that the professor puts the onus on those bringing him paperwork to do most of it themselves. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow about how those other colleagues might regard this behaviour and the impact on their potential rest ethics.

However, despite these minor reservations I do think this is a very useful and well written book that will be helpful to those willing to receive the advice held within it.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the last few years I've tried to read more books about finding a work-life balance and resting properly. This had been on my to-read list for over a year, and when I got it for Christmas, I decided to dive in right away.

The book opens by exploring the concept of leisure and exploring how leisure was viewed/experienced through out history. It then explores all the different ways to experience time off, including rest, sleep (two different things), exercise, solitude, reflection, play, travel and technology. And yes, you should be sleeping more and making exercise a priority - all these things we already know - but the authors dive into each section with research and interviews from highly successful people (entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, etc.) who have made that specific element of time off a priority for themselves and their employees. They also reference many books that dive deeper into those specific topics- some of which I've also read or have now added to my to-read list.

The parts sections that were most interesting to me were Technology and the Future of Work.

This is a book that anyone, especially someone at the head of any company or industry, should read. As a teacher this felt like an alarm bell. In a time where educators are hanging on by a thread, the elimination of busywork (which they discuss at length) and the idea of treating your employees like the skilled adults you hired, feel like easy fixes to America's nation-wide teacher shortage.

I recommend this to anyone who is dissatisfied with their work-life balance, to anyone interested in self-improvement, and to every public school superintendent in America.

[Jill Steeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by John Fitch and Max Frenzel, is an in-depth look at time spent not working and the concept of rest ethic. The authors begin with a stroll through the history of the view of work vs. leisure, beginning with the ancient hunter-gatherer cultures. It is interesting to contrast how the ancients only did enough work to ensure survival, whereas today, work tends to consume us and leaves little time for true relaxation.

Nine traits are presented to show the importance of mindfully incorporating time off in one’s life. The authors show how a good rest ethic is as important as a good work ethic. They recount the benefits of rest, including better health and greater productivity and creativity when working. They show how excessive time spent working can actually be counterproductive. The final chapter takes a thought-provoking look at the future and how people will compete with artificial intelligence. Throughout the book the authors invite the reader to engage in the topics they discuss by suggesting an activity to practice the topic. I like the profiles peppered throughout the book that make it an interesting read and illustrate the authors’ points.

I expected this to be “researchy” and “textbooky” book. While the authors do support their work with research, it is not at all a dull book. I enjoyed reading it and learned a great deal. It is a book that will cause the readers to reflect on their own attitudes and habits related to work ethic and rest ethic.

[Titiaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book at the start of my sabbatical. The main premise of the book is that we should develop a clear rest ethic, much like we have a work ethic. Your rest ethic might include cooking meals for the family or making time each morning to write in your journal.

The book itself weaves together short examples from other people with a small practice with a larger narrative. There was little in this book that was completely new to me, which is why I’m giving it a 3-star rating. The book is well-written and someone who doesn’t have any practices around wellbeing might find more novelty in this book.

I enjoyed learning about the history of leisure -- apparently, in Greek society, the goal was to spend more time on Noble Leisure, which Aristotle defined as doing things for their own sake. This is a bit about what people by themselves if nobody asks them to do anything.

I also enjoyed some of the short profiles, such as the one revealing that Tchaikovsky and Beethoven both walked for at least 2 hours a day, similar to the life Nietzsche lived when writing in the Engadin. I also enjoyed Herman Hesse’s advice to readers to feel free from the obligation to read newspapers daily, even if they’re published at that frequency.

[LaChelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

[2.5 stars]

While this books contains some interesting information about the history of American work culture and how we can begin to reimagine productivity through prioritizing leisure, it fails to address the immense privilege required to be able to cultivate this in real life. It makes no mention of wealth disparity (and is overloaded with anecdotal chapters about successful and wealthy people who’ve managed to cultivate work/life balance), or practical tips for people who do not have the luxury of working less. This book is more suited for C-suite executives, billionaires and other people in positions of power who need to re-examine how they run their companies and teams but few of them have an incentive to do so it would’ve benefited the writers to take a more encompassing approach that considered the perspectives of the people who are most impacted by our relentless culture of busyness. I appreciate that this book has made me think about my relationship with rest, technology and productivity but it was mostly a lot of redundant information that could’ve been told in half the amount of pages.

[Ugn Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I am on a personal sabbatical from work, this book was interesting.

You can kind of pick and choose which chapters to dig into- for me for example, I exercise and play quite a bit, so I was less focused there. On the other hand, I know I need to work on sleep hygiene, and need to get better about journaling/reflection (this book kind of inspired me to get going).

I actually really appreciated the final chapter, on The Future of Work. Rather than fearing tech, can we use it as a tool to get rid of repetitive tasks...so we can lean into the best parts of our humanity (our capacity to love, creativity, etc.)?

One (minor) item in here (and the authors acknowledge this), is that not everyone has the resources required to take Time Off...so there is a bit of privilege underlying all of this. But for those of us with the capacity to be more mindful about Time Off, we don't!

Generally, I think there is something for everyone in here - a good read!

[Level6Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I probably never took so many notes and highlights from a book. This book was my most enjoyable reading experience in a long time.

The authors write about productivity but not the way you would expect. The topic is leisure time ( plus boredom) and the benefits we have lost with our current life style by always being busy and multitasking. After the authors make their case they present a lot of examples from famous personalities and how time off impacted their work. In the end there is a part about AI and the future of work which I found refreshing and interesting.

I would recommend the book to anyone who has an interest in productivity, especially people that work in a creative environment. The stories and anecdotes are coupled with beautiful drawings from Mariya Suzuki.

[Mat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Off aborde un sujet essentiel : l’importance du repos et du temps libre dans une vie équilibrée et productive. Le message est pertinent, et les conseils sont bons, surtout à une époque où l’on glorifie encore trop le travail acharné. J’ai aimé l’approche qui encourage à construire une véritable « éthique du repos » plutôt que de voir les pauses comme une perte de temps.

Cela dit, j’ai trouvé que le livre aurait gagné à être plus concis. Les portraits et références sont intéressants, mais ils prennent parfois trop de place et diluent un peu l’impact des idées principales. On en perd le fil par moments.

Une lecture inspirante malgré tout, surtout si on a tendance à culpabiliser quand on ne travaille pas !

[Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I read this book over a several month time period. Following its core concept of taking time off to reflect & think works equally well for work as for reading this book.

The book covers lots of ground ranging from philosophy to practical advice to narratives from successful individuals who came to understand the benefits of time off. I found the discussion on Sabbaticals to be highly thought-provoking and I will work my hardest to go on at least a mini sabbatical.

I enjoyed the illustrations throughout the book. There is also plenty of space and empty pages for those like myself who are fans or marginalia.

One clarifying point: in the parlance of this book, it is intended for highly educated “knowledge workers”. A lot of their recommendations might ring hollow for those without that sort of privilege.

[Oleg Gavryliuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

The magic of how to get more doing less without busyness.

“If we want to accomplish the big things we’ve set out to do – to create, lead, contribute, and make an impact – we need a rest ethic as strong as our work ethic.”

Every athlete knows the importance of Load & Recovery balance. Without adequate recovery load(training) is waste of time and effort with negative consequences.

Max and John wrote a useful and interesting book about noble leisure. The magic of how to get more doing less without busyness.

[Chitrak gangrade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should have been a blog post. Unnecessary drumming of same point again and again.

Also, I was expecting the book to talk more about long term sabbatical and how to think about long vacations. It was more focused on day to day how to take breaks.

Also it kept talking about why taking breaks are important. We get it. Talk more about how to take efficient breaks and share more insights around it.

Felt like a Twitter thread converted into a book. Left mid way.

[Helen Snape · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent reminder that society's obsession with work and busyness hasn't always been the case and also it does not make us more effective or productive. Quite the opposite.
I enjoyed exploring different practical ways of embracing rest through the stories of historical figures and successful entrepreneurs.
A book that I will most likely come back to from time to time for renewed inspiration in rest!

[Billy Colley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, Eye Opening, A Must Implement

The writing style in Time off is enjoyable and engaging, which is always nice in a book. Add to that the amazing information contained in this book, and the different ways to apply it, and I can’t recommend it enough if you’re feeling a bit burned out with life.

[Jamz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does a phenomenal job breaking down the different ways Overwork and the Attention Economy work against productivity and our innate human drives to create. I really enjoyed the specific and concrete actions readers are given to take to make the most out of their time off and reclaiming a soul of creativity.

[tomo]

休息や余暇は、ただ「何もしない時間」ではなく、無意識のうちにアイデアを育てたり、メンタルをリセットしたりする「質の高いインプットの時間」になる──つまり、休むこと自体が “働くための準備” であり、長期的な成功にとって必要不可欠だ。

本章でいう「休息」は「ただ働かない時間」ではなく、「質の高い回復時間」。たとえば、ぼんやりする、深呼吸する、散歩する、趣味に没頭する、自然に触れる――こうした行為は、一見 “何もしないようで何かをしている (回復中)”。

旅は、日常のルーティン、慣れ、固定観念から離れ、新しい環境・文化・人々と出会うことで、思考の枠を広げ、価値観を揺さぶり、刷新された視点や洞察を得るための強力な手段である。本章は、旅行を単なる娯楽や気分転換ではなく、人生や創造性を豊かにする “時間オフの最高形態” として位置づける。

[Jeffrey Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other than its central theme of taking time off so you can be better at "work," (what's wrong with taking time off to be better at LIFE?), the book is well written, researched, and presented. Found a few ideas for active leisure that I might try to implement. Only after I take a break.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More print book mop-up! Really liked this collection of thoughts on the importance of leisure time. Lots of great ideas for ways to use leisure time well (without, you know, worrying about being productive).

[Kate Pratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't maintain a great work ethic without having a great "rest ethic". The strategies in this book aren’t really new, but suggest creative applications that can apply to many modern office jobs.

I feel less stressed about my work since reading this book which is a win.