I spend a lot of time around people who work hard.
Some work with their hands. Others spend their days making decisions, managing people, raising families, running businesses, or trying to keep a dozen responsibilities from falling apart.
And I've noticed something interesting.
A surprising number of us aren't particularly good at doing nothing.
I'm including myself in that observation.
Have you ever sat down after a long day, intending to relax, only to find yourself reaching for your phone, checking email, scrolling through social media, or mentally reviewing everything you haven't accomplished?
You aren't working.
But you aren't really resting, either.
And sometimes, if you actually manage to sit quietly for a few minutes, something even stranger happens.
You start feeling guilty.
As though sitting still is evidence that you're wasting your life.
When did rest become something we have to earn?
Being Busy Isn't the Same as Being Productive
One of the things I've learned from nearly four decades working in machine shops is that a machine can be running without producing anything useful.
It can make noise, consume electricity, generate heat, and wear out components without producing a single good part.