How I Learned to Truly Recharge

(And How You Can Too In 7 Steps)

Read time: 6 minutes
​
....but first...

I dont do many (really, any) webinars/personal appearances, etc due to time but I am doing a very exclusive limited spot Webinar with one of my sponsors at Secret Leaders.

Every single person who registers (and shows up) can email me any question after the webinar and I'll properly spend some time to write a thoughtful reply (as I'd love to get as many of my own readers involved at this online event vs a bunch of strangers!)

​SIGN UP HERE AND HIT REPLY TO LET ME KNOW YOU'RE JOINING! ​

OK back to the main event....

Last week, we talked about productivity hacks.

​You can read that (and all past issues, here).

Today, I'm diving deep into something even more crucial: How to actually feel fully rested and recharged.

Seven years ago:

I was that guy pushing myself to the brink. I thought success was all about grinding 24/7.

The result? I ended up with severe depression, crippling anxiety, and a six-month battle with insomnia. Real glamorous, right? (If you're one of my earlier subscribers, you know this story well).

Here's the thing:

Even when I started sleeping again, I still felt drained. That's when I realized there's more to rest than just catching Z's.

The Rest Revolution

Through my journey with Heights, my brain health company, I've dived deep into the science of rest and recovery. What I've learned has completely transformed my approach to work, life, and success.

There are actually seven types of rest we need, and most of us are chronically deficient in at least one:

1. Physical Rest

This isn't just about sleep. It's about giving your body the necessary downtime to repair and recharge. When I struggled with insomnia, I learned that active physical rest—like yoga or massage—can be just as crucial as passive rest (sleep).

Try this: Set a "sleep schedule" for yourself, just like you would for any important meeting. Remember to incorporate some form of active rest into your week, even if it's just a 10-minute stretching session.
​

2. Mental Rest

In our always-on digital world, our brains rarely get a break. This constant mental stimulation can lead to burnout and decreased productivity.

I've found that practices like mindfulness meditation can be game-changers. It's not about clearing your mind, but about observing your thoughts without judgment. This simple practice has helped me manage stress and improve focus more than any productivity hack ever did.

3. Emotional Rest

This one's huge, especially for us entrepreneurs. We often feel pressure to always be "on," to show strength and positivity even when we're struggling. But this emotional labour is exhausting.

Emotional rest is about creating space to feel and express your true emotions. For me, this meant finding a trusted circle of fellow founders where I could be vulnerable about my struggles and fears.

4. Spiritual Rest

Now, before you roll your eyes, hear me out. Spiritual rest isn't necessarily about religion. It's about connecting to something larger than yourself and finding meaning and purpose.

For me, this often involves spending time in nature. There's something about standing in a forest or by the ocean that puts all my entrepreneurial worries into perspective.

5. Social Rest

As an extrovert, I used to think all social interaction was energizing. But I've learned that time with energy vampires - those people who leave you feeling drained - is actually the opposite of rest.

Social rest is about curating your social interactions and spending time with people who uplift and inspire you. It's also about giving yourself permission to have alone time when you need it.

6. Sensory Rest

In our hyper-stimulating world, our senses rarely get a break. The constant barrage of notifications, emails, and visual stimuli can leave us feeling overwhelmed and unfocused.

I've made it a rule to have no phones in the bedroom. This simple change has dramatically improved my sleep quality and helped me start each day with a clearer mind.

7. Creative Rest

This one is crucial for innovation and problem-solving. Creative rest is about stepping away from the grind and allowing your mind to wander and play.

I've found that engaging in creative hobbies completely unrelated to work - like sketching or playing music - often leads to my best business insights.

The Rest Revolution in Action

Implementing these types of rest into my life wasn't easy at first. Old habits die hard, and I still sometimes feel that nagging voice telling me I should be working more.

But the results speak for themselves. Since embracing this holistic approach to rest:

• My productivity has skyrocketed
• I've had some of my most innovative business ideas
• My relationships, both personal and professional, have deepened
• And most importantly, I actually enjoy the journey now

It's not about working less. It's about working (and resting) smarter.

To your well-rested success,

Dan

P.S. Try to incorporate at least 1 type of rest in this guide and tell me how it has affected you. Remember, I'm not telling you to apply all of these 7 rest methods at once, you should incorporate them into your daily routine as naturally as possible.

​

SOS (Science of Success) Curated:

LinkedIn of the week: How to Be a Better Version of Yourself​

Podcast of the week: Why Business Is A Casino​

My Tweet of the week: Every single thing you want in life is on the other side of something that sucks​

The Science of Rest and Recovery

A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology examined the effects of different types of work breaks on employee well-being and performance.

Researchers found that engaging in diverse break activities - including relaxation, social interaction, and cognitive tasks - led to improved mood, reduced fatigue, and increased job performance compared to traditional passive breaks.

Notably, employees who practised mindfulness during breaks showed the highest improvements in both well-being and task performance.

This research highlights the importance of intentional and varied rest strategies in maximizing productivity and overall work satisfaction.

You can find the full study here: https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fapl0000045​

Want to build a killer marketing campaign? Look no further than our interview with PR expert Emily Austen who does exactly that for global giants Red Bull.

She takes us through some of the most successful PR campaigns ever including how Barbie and Oppenheimer clashed on purpose?! And the powerful hacks that you can start using right now to make your campaigns go viral and stand out from the crowd.

​
​Listen in to learn and develop your thinking...​

Until next week - smash your success,

Dan

--------------------------------

1-1 Coaching with Dan

In my goal to help more entrepreneurs/people who are looking to level up their careers, I've just started taking 1-1 consulting calls (only 1 a week)

Why book a call? Some of my expertise/success:

I've built 5 startups. 1 win, 1 fail, and 3 still going.

E-Commerce: Heights — with revenue over $15M a year.

Community: Foundrs, one of the UK's top founder communities

Podcasting: Leaders Media - bootstrapped media company that makes the UK's top business podcasts, Secret Leaders, with over 50M downloads.

Health/Mental Health: Managed to overcome burnout, insomnia, depression & anxiety in pursuit of success as I talk about in my interview with Steven Bartlett on Diary of a CEO​

Angel Investing: I've invested in over 86 startups

Coached & Mentored: Certified coach & done lots of mentoring

Personal Brand: Have grown to 170k on LinkedIn and X (Twitter) in the past 12 months

So if you're interested in booking a session with me to talk all things business or building a personal brand, book for 30-minutes or 45-minutes. (limited spots).

Science of Success Vault

I'm building a vault of valuable tools, resources, and one sheets that I hope help you succeed.

These will be stored in the ever-growing 'Science of Success' vault — you can always access that here

Want to take your success (even more) seriously? 👇​
🧠 Fuel your brain and feed your gut, try Heights here (use code 'SOSDMS' for 15% off your first month of any subscription

🎧 Check out my podcast Secret Leaders here​

​​​