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Give It a Rest!

Sometimes nothing will break through the haze of mental fatigue except rest—or a good night’s sleep.

If you’re finding yourself snapping at others, your patience thinning, and your body dragging, you’re fighting a losing battle. Give it a rest!

How much rest you need really depends on the situation. If you’re not too far gone, a half hour looking out of your office window could be enough to recharge your batteries. But if you’ve been tossing a decision around in your head and analyzing scenario after scenario for hours, then call it quits for the day as soon as possible. Go home, kick your feet up, have a good meal, possibly a glass of wine, watch a good movie, and go to bed.

In fact, giving it a rest—a real rest—means you forbid yourself to even think about the decision until you get back into the office the next day.

Wallowing in a decision does not get you closer to overcoming mental fatigue; it only exacerbates it. Why make life tough on yourself by continuing to push further than you can mentally go at the time? If you’re tapped out, you’re tapped out.