Lessons in Powering Down

Sometimes the easy thing is the right thing.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized I needed a break.

I'd been pushing hard…juggling my fractional role, coaching clients, launching new ideas, showing up online, experimenting, adjusting, creating. I’m not complaining. I love what I do. But at some point, I noticed I was starting to run on fumes. So I asked myself, “What do I need?”

The answer was obvious: a long weekend.

So I gave myself permission. I blocked off Friday. But even then, I was already sneaking effort back into the plan:

“If I take Friday off, I can catch up on admin and emails in the morning. Then I can relax on Saturday. Maybe on Sunday, I’ll even read a book.”

Do you see what I did there?

I said I was taking a break.
But I was still trying to earn my rest.

---

When Ease Needs a Little Friction

On Thursday afternoon, I looked at my calendar and caught myself.
I wasn’t just negotiating the time off. I was quietly filling it back up again.

So I paused.
I asked the question I’ve been working on lately:

“What would this look like if it were easy?”

And the answer was simple:
It would look like not working.
Not catching up. Not squeezing things in. Not multitasking "rest" with productivity.

It would look like shutting down my laptop.
Literally powering it off—so that logging back in would require effort.
I introduced a little friction to help me follow through on the ease I actually needed.

---

Rest Isn’t Lazy. It’s Loving.

I think a lot of us fall into this pattern.
We crave rest, we know we need it…
and yet we keep finding ways to make it feel productive, performative, or earned.

But ease doesn’t always mean doing less.
Sometimes it means being more honest with yourself.
Sometimes it means making the path to overdoing just a little less convenient.
And sometimes, it means walking away from the inbox, the list, the pressure… and letting stillness do its quiet work.

---

What About You?

If you’re feeling tired (or even just a little foggy) try asking:

“What would rest look like if it were easy?”
What would you need to power down?
What would it look like to trust that rest has value even when no one else sees it?

Ease might not be loud or impressive.
But it might be exactly what your nervous system is asking for.

---

Want to think about this a bit more? Catch this week’s One Question podcast:
“What Would This Look Like If It Were Easy?”
You can listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or on my homepage at leahfarmer.com.