Radical Rest: making a difference
Happy New Year - wishing you the rest you need in 2024!
January can be a dark and grey time, but also an opportunity to lean into the natural winter cycle of rest and restoration - we’ve got some great links to share this month about taking what you need from this season.
Our research found that rest is most effective when it's collective and talked about openly, so we’re looking forward to meeting up online again , and hope you find connection with stories below about people making the same changes as you this year.
Radical Rest Network online meet-up 1st Feb: Rest and Responsibility
Our next meet-up is coming up: Thursday 1st February, 3-4pm GMT. Enjoy an hour hearing inspiration on what works, sharing ideas and challenges, and getting support to make rest a priority for yourself and your team.
This month we’ll hear insight from the Museum Association’s Tamsin Russell (Museums Association); their research defined what impacts worker wellbeing last year, and made recommendations for organisational and individual change. They’re also experiencing their own trial of changing to a 4 day week!
Joining us? Click here to RSVP: link removed as this event has passed
Impacts of the Radical Rest Network - can you help?
We’ve had some lovely messages of how the Radical Rest Network has inspired you (heartwarmer below). We hope to fund and grow this impact in 2024 - do you have/know:
a venue in-person or online (e.g. Zoom account) we can use to host meet-ups?
funding opportunities we should look at? (currently all RRN is done for free)
ideas for a speaker you’d like to see this year?
… or a story of how the RRN has impacted you?
Add your thoughts/offers here: https://forms.gle/pBMqtfX1cx2gmVbr6
“I’ve already ordered 3 books since reading some of the blog posts of Mike Murawkski that you flagged, reached out to my manager about how we could embed some ‘fika’ inspired time for the team (we are starting to have serious conversations about professional rest!), asked my self-employed partner about how we can schedule in some time off, and been very heartened and inspired to read about Jo Hunter’s choice for this year. Thank you for keeping me, my loved ones and my team’s wellbeing forefront in my mind. I really appreciate what you guys are doing with the Radical Rest Network.”
Great reads to inspire your rest this month:
What causes burnout in museums? Exhaustion, cynicism and inefficacy: “The opposite of burnout isn’t energy or right-sized workload, it’s engagement” (US) In the UK, Is museum culture putting workers under too much pressure? brings together recent issues and initiatives on wellbeing.
The recent What’s Next? takeover by Unlimited: How do we rest when the world is on fire? includes practical tips, creative practice on rest, and Mary Oliver poems
Rest in research:
More than 40% of our creative ideas come during downtime when our minds are free to wander
Why do creative people feel resistance to rest?
Building a rest habit in 2024, including needing ‘active’ rest (hobbies) over passive (naps)
Why we naturally need to rest in winter, and how “wintering” is important at any time of year
And a treat for your rest break today: a joyous 5-minute read about coping with winter from You Are Doing A Good Enough Job:
