Here’s to a REMARKABLE MONDAY, my friend!

But before we get into it, a big shout out to my podcast ConvoRoom: Conversations with mentors, moguls and legends. Listen to the latest episode here.

Last week, we discussed regularly scheduled maintenance. In that same headspace, I want to ask you a question: When was the last time you intentionally scheduled time for rest?

I’m so serious! When was the last time you blocked off time for you to truly unplug and refill after all you’ve been pouring out?

If you can’t accurately say that you have done so within the last three months, I want you to dig in with me this week. It’s time, my friend.

If your schedule looked anything like mine did before this weekend, I want to offer you a public service announcement. Rest can no longer be an optional part of your regimen, no matter how much you have on your plate.

There are three forms of rest I want you to make time for:

#1: Your nightly rest/sleep: No phone. No stimuli. Just you, the back of your eyelids, and some sleep sounds (not mandatory, but they work wonders for me–just saying).

#2: Your sabbath: Simply defined, “a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jewish people from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.

Can we talk about this idea really quickly? I think we have to tackle this practically, especially if you are a leader/speaker who works on Sunday.

First, pick a day when you can get that time to unwind.

Next, have your prep work done before your chosen sabbath day.

If having a sabbath means resting from work (that includes thinking about work, too), then you have to get those choose you’ve saved for later done ahead of time so you don’t try to do them on your day off.

For example, household tasks, spring cleaning, etc., are not how you are going to spend your sabbath when you are supposed to be resting. You’re going to prepare in advance so you can actually unplug.

#3: Your sabbatical: Simply defined, "is a rest or break from work; an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job."

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Mark, that sounds nice and all, but I have too much on my plate for an extended break to frolic around a foreign country trying to “eat. pray. love.”

I get it. Before you dismiss my advice, let me propose this to you: You can start with a mini-sabbatical, Friday through Sunday. It might look like setting up a phone-free weekend–so work can’t find you for a couple of days–or maybe a kid-free weekend so you can have the house to yourself.

Maybe you or you and your spouse can go on a weekend getaway. Have small kids you don’t want to travel too far away from? Try a staycation. Act like out-of-towners in your hometown.

Basically, remove every barrier. Ditch the excuses. Find the rest. It’s 100% worth it!

I hope this message finds you well. I’m sharing from my heart in hopes that you will be inspired to unearth and live out your God-given purpose. Hopefully, something I said resonated. I would love to hear from you if so. Please feel free to reach out to me on social media. FYI: I’m mostly active on Instagram these days. If you were forwarded this message, you can subscribe here to receive thoughts like this directly in your inbox. And don’t forget to check out the latest episode of my podcast, ConvoRoom with Mark Allen Patterson.

See you next week,