The Importance of Taking Breaks

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The Importance of Taking Breaks

Рет қаралды 931,853

Күн бұрын

Just like the lumberjack who takes time to sharpen his ax, I'm a firm believer in the power of taking breaks.
It's not just about stepping away from the work; it's about coming back sharper and more focused. 🪓✨
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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.
Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.
Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.
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Website: simonsinek.com/
Live Online Classes: simonsinek.com...
Podcast: apple.co/simons...
Instagram: / simonsinek
Linkedin: / simonsinek
Twitter: / simonsinek
Facebook: / simonsinek
Simon’s books:
The Infinite Game: simonsinek.com...
Start With Why: simonsinek.com...
Find Your Why: simonsinek.com...
Leaders Eat Last: simonsinek.com...
Together is Better: simonsinek.com...
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#SimonSinek

Пікірлер: 283

@mmj1342 6 ай бұрын

I love how many ppl already made the same comment as me. Going home to sharpen your axe for an hour is not a break from work.

@mmj1342 6 ай бұрын

You could argue that changing up tasks or pausing in a project to plan and prepare again is important, but his takeaway is like saying a carpenter is not working when s/he is measuring or a baker is not working when s/he is cleaning.

@paulzarate22369 6 ай бұрын

You never work your engine too hard to preserve the integrity of your engine. Always have respect and your engine will show you respect meaning your heart

@jjfattz 5 ай бұрын

Funny, I interpret that a little differently. Sharpening his ax every day is a form of improvement, better efficiency. I interpret this as constantly work on self improvement, sharpening your skills, becoming more effective.

@AudioDriver 4 ай бұрын

I just got a new job in sales and this hits different now. Note that he doesn’t take an hour off to go nap at home, instead he sharpens his axe. He prepares for more work, not continuing work, but also not fully stopping work. This is so important to understand and lots of people get this balance wrong.

@daveprice8179 3 ай бұрын

I love that man I could listen to him for days

@Iwasonceanonionwithnolayers 4 ай бұрын

It's worth mentioning here that there are multiple kinds of rest, and we need them all. 1. Physical rest where you do very little 2. Physical rest where you are active (like going for a walk/hike) 3. Mental rest (probably no math, no quarterly planning, no thought-provoking Ted Talks) 4. Emotional rest (avoid conflict, maybe don't listen to your girlfriend vent about problems you have solutions for that she wouldn’t use) 5. Spiritual rest. (Maybe do charity, meditation, revisit beloved hobbies.) Anything that "feeds the soul" is spiritual rest.

@ugrank 4 ай бұрын

I like how he considers sharpening an axe as taking a break

@sidh1603 4 ай бұрын

😂

@jamesclarke5397 4 ай бұрын

When you're the axe, it makes sense. Relax, stretch, read a book, eat something healthy. He made me realize I need to take more time making sure my chainsaws are sharp too

@ugrank 4 ай бұрын

@@jamesclarke5397 but you are not. Sharpening an axe in this sense is more of a preparation rather than taking a break.

@Bart-Did-it 4 ай бұрын

That’s what I thought

@abdmzn 4 ай бұрын

@@ugrank You're not a lumberjack either, it's an analogy...

@catcityhulk 12 күн бұрын

This is a perfect reference to any sales job. Management always wants employees to work more hours and do more days, but if you take time to sharpen your tools, learn your craft, and your competition... you'll make more high-quality sales in less time and fewer leads. Quality over quantity!

@curiouskitty7972 3 ай бұрын

I adore your analogies Simon. In fact I wish I could talk to you everyday ❤

@shapelessed 3 ай бұрын

Tell that to someone with autism. You simply can NOT turn off. Everything is always happening, thoughts are always flowing, everything is like it's about to blow up.

@Nikos169 6 ай бұрын

He is resting his body to come back stronger, with a more efficient tool and sharper, refocused mind. Thus the quality of his work is better and the quantity greater. Work smarter not harder.

@Chapmancommunities 4 ай бұрын

Wonderful reminder to sharpen our skills. If you that means taking a break or maybe taking a refresher course on your area of work, do what works for you!

@leebackus9875 3 ай бұрын

Your videos are great. Keep sharing please.

@OlgaSunny-pl2sg 6 ай бұрын

I watched an interview by a billionaire I shared his link in my previous posts who says life is all about energy and do you know when people’s life end when their energy’s end. Because they are depleted of energies and gives great examples how someone is incapable of accomplishing anything because of being disenerginzed. We balance our accounts , relationships etc.. but no one ever thinks that energy is such a vital aspect in everyone’s life and once that’s depleted so is your own being. He sharpens his axe and balances his work and energy in a healthy manner.

@carolbowen1693 6 ай бұрын

shabbat shalom-rest!

@hannesreinhardt1399 6 ай бұрын

That's why i bring two axes and sharpen both in the evening. So, both lumberjacks do something wrong. But conciously taking breaks is always a good thing. For a start, very good are daily powernaps. Even better is doing that AND calling your wife for 5 minutes, reconfirming you love her. Probably in that order. The message is, take breaks for yourself, and take breaks for your loved ones.

@lazarusblackwell6988 4 ай бұрын

People often forget to take a break from life. Many think they have to work all the time. Take a break people.

@Kennkok21 6 ай бұрын

I was waiting for him to say, “I spent the hour going through your wood to add on to mine, I thought you knew”.

@buurman-hc5wh 3 ай бұрын

My son has his first job. Every Saturday morning 4 hours in a convenient store. Has a contract and the second Saturday called in sick (was sick for five days) and the fourth Saturday took a day off, we went away for the weekend. Still got his job, because we don’t live in the USA.

@YasinDilek-gn8ux 2 ай бұрын

Totally And if you're into crash games, they have daily bonuses. I won some free plays yesterday 📈

@henrikejekel2247 6 ай бұрын

I see a lot of comments about how this story is still about working non-stop, just switching between different types of work. I think one thing people overlook is that a very important part of resting is switching off completely. So not just taking a physical break to rest your body, but also from any kind of mental stimulation. Your mind needs time to wander aimlessly, to actually be bored from time to time. Being switched on all the time causes stress and exhaustion. Doing nothing from time to time is good for you and also makes you more productive.

@jaybeecorpuz4583 6 ай бұрын

sharpening your axe is not vacation. its like attending seminars or taking special training, the guy never stop improving.

@alex-ander-13 Ай бұрын

Thank you for the reminder.

@imnotev1084 6 ай бұрын

If only the education system was so caring as to not give more work over the weekend than they do over the week days.

@hjworkshop1 5 ай бұрын

And no one does anything about it. It’s disgusting

@wiscobuckeye 4 ай бұрын

I don’t know where you live, but in Wisconsin, my kids school district has eliminated homework completely, other than reading. They claim studies show it doesn’t help. Not sure I believe it, but, that’s what they say…

@spencergsmith 4 ай бұрын

@@wiscobuckeyeI wouldn’t say it doesn’t help at all, but sometimes the sheer volume of homework can be more detrimental than helpful.

@JC-1989 6 ай бұрын

The most relatable person of how he speaks.

@SJT0001 3 ай бұрын

Everyone needs a break from life to relax and reboot your body, mind, and soul. Otherwise you will evenually break down and it will effect the world around you negatively - family, friends, co-workers, etc. ✌️❤️🙏

@yacubfahmilda9238 6 ай бұрын

In Islam, life is just moving from one prayer time (Salat) to another. In a day, we have five prayer times, and each one helps recharge the soul spiritually. The core of the soul and mind keeps us alive.

@vza7938 6 ай бұрын

thats actually pretty good way of going through a day, through life itself

@woolyhighlander7280 6 ай бұрын

But, no work gets done, right ?

@user-io2et5bv2s 4 ай бұрын

🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

@alfredgifford2977 4 ай бұрын

I love this story.

@laurayamaguchi7538 6 ай бұрын

Thats right. When a enjoy vacation I begin been creative, that’s the great moment where I am full of energy and find myself

@shaktic29 4 ай бұрын

Why is this video presented as some sort of great insight.

@adamnewman1740 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for this, i need to learn to do that.

@AnderBRO2 Ай бұрын

This hits harder a second time! Here's some juicy material right back, thanks Simon. Go get your astrological natal chart done :) Aries = Autocracy = change Taurus = Presidential = guidance Gemini = Bicameral = conversation Cancer = Dictatorship = feelings Leo = Oligarchy = familiarity Virgo = Socialism = order Libra = Democracy = balance Scorpio = Anarchy = patience Sagittarius = Theocracy = drive Capricorn = Technocracy = focus Aquarius = Communism = creative Pisces = Republic = social

@muammar88 6 ай бұрын

I like how he enforced the translation of sharpening the ax to a break! How about the actual moral of the story of getting the right tools/knowledge! e.g. spend weekends learning a new/better way of doing your daily work!

@ryancecil 6 ай бұрын

sharpening an axe is not taking a break, its still work. The valuable lesson here is work non-stop AND understand your tools.

@MysticLoser 6 ай бұрын

The work from chopping a tree is from the body. Sharpening the axe is resting the body. A lot of work we do chips away not at just the body, but the mind and the spirit. Taking a break is "sharpening" the body, mind, and spirit so that it may function at a higher level than otherwise if they kept grinding through.

@jeffs8803 5 ай бұрын

Yer dumb

@snwbm 5 ай бұрын

You have never sharpened an axe @MysticLoser

@pg9896 5 ай бұрын

...or taken a real break. 😂

@GraceLaiMD 5 ай бұрын

And draw the right conclusions

@saravalverde244 6 ай бұрын

I believe in that to. I need my time

@marlenebronson2681 3 ай бұрын

I agree….we as a family always had vacations and enjoyed relaxation. Today, no way to take a vacation why? Hmm

@WhyOhWhy123 3 ай бұрын

Taking a break but learning / improving your tools is not necessarily a "break"

@AA-du2mc 4 ай бұрын

I sent this to my boss to hint that I need a vacation. He took a vacation and I worked overtime to cover.

@lazarusblackwell6988 4 ай бұрын

LOOOOOL

@MikSrf723 6 ай бұрын

Tell our Employers this.

@cloverbird5785 6 ай бұрын

Sharpening the axe is still doing work. This should be a "working smarter" short.

@jadonbaldwin8365 5 ай бұрын

I think sharpening the axe is an analogy for a break from what you’re truly doing for work, rather than an example of working smarter. Usually these types of analogies aren’t necessarily literal, but rather are used as tools for teaching a life lesson

@FliknClik 5 ай бұрын

@@jadonbaldwin8365 it can also be interpreted as, enhancing your skill to do the work is just as important as doing the work itself.. but I guess to each their own..

@spencergsmith 4 ай бұрын

It can be, or it can be viewed as resting. When you begin the job, your mind and body are “sharp” yet they “dull” as you fatigue. Resting allows you to recover and “sharpen” your mind and body again.

@pauldanielwood 6 ай бұрын

It doesn’t work .. he’s not taking a break.. he’s retooling

@guesswho2390 6 ай бұрын

Why “Sharpen the saw” is one of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

@abhishekpandey2480 5 ай бұрын

Loved the story❤

@swaminathan_r1 6 ай бұрын

Going home to sharpen the axe is not taking break. It’s doing the job better..

@NetGuyMsia 6 ай бұрын

This is literally Habit #7 of Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People".

@altheanelson5146 6 ай бұрын

Yes I love Stephen Corey's. That was a part of our management training in the early 1990's.❤

@watercolourmark 6 ай бұрын

Walking home to shapen an axe is the opposite of taking a break. I thought the lumberjack was going to say, i go to the lumber yard to buy some wood.

@Tophe 6 ай бұрын

Cool metaphor fam

@MD_Wisdom 6 ай бұрын

OK, there’s the misconception right there, he’s not going home to sit on his ass, he’s going home to sharpen his axe. What does that mean? It means he goes and works on his tool to improve the efficiency at which he works. It’s not a metaphor, it’s not hyperbole, He’s still working, he’s just not continuing to chop wood with an ever dulling axe.

@luckyplier 6 ай бұрын

sharpening axe here means sharpening our energy. take a break.

@vza7938 6 ай бұрын

plus were not machines...a tired body cant function fully

@vkhan5431 6 ай бұрын

If the work defined is to chop wood and you are sharpening your axe, you are not working.

@MD_Wisdom 6 ай бұрын

@@vkhan5431 I suppose you think that if the work is defined as changing a faucet, then turning off the main water supply is also not work.

@MD_Wisdom 6 ай бұрын

@@luckyplier nope, it’s not metaphorical, it’s literal.

@ConstructionSway-wx6qz 5 ай бұрын

Great story 🔥

@Drety6 4 ай бұрын

"let me tell you a story someone else thought of to make a point so I sound wise" guy

@user-ls1lu7gu4u 3 ай бұрын

I use to work with a couple of guys who argued about every inch about who was doing the most work. They’d take breaks when I wasn’t and I wouldn’t say anything. When I did they talked about me. Moral of the story mind your own business you don’t know what that person might be doing or not doing to ensure he works more effectively.

@shihab2024-b1x 12 күн бұрын

I like the watch🙌🏼

@Gogalen789 2 ай бұрын

Thought he was going to say one of the lumberjacks went to the sawmill for an hour where the high tech wood splitter was.

@jameserickson1330 5 ай бұрын

Impossible in many modern jobs. I hate vacations because I get miles behind while gone and come back to a massive pile of work.

@skiphoffenflaven8004 4 ай бұрын

Perfect

@retailfire 5 ай бұрын

Great story!

@iammewhoelse9430 4 ай бұрын

I thought he was going to say ' I'm going home to your wife to sharpen my blade'. 😂

@devonfuginowskinstien7500 5 ай бұрын

The point is set up for work with proper planning. If all he did was take a break he would go back with a dull axe.

@kellysmyth2337 6 ай бұрын

If he’s sharpening his axe he’s still working

@gillie-monger3394 5 ай бұрын

If you're going home and sharpening your axe, you're not taking a break.

@smokeymellows 6 ай бұрын

Well he wasnt switching off, he was sharpening his axe

@MarketingSway-be3dy 5 ай бұрын

That’s great

@m.y.7097 6 ай бұрын

Very clever! ❤

@chucks_dad9138 6 ай бұрын

No. He isn't saying he took a break. He is saying if you maintain your equipment properly, you work more efficiently. Going home and sharpening an axe is still work. But it enables him to do the rest of his work better.

@mdorn6794 5 ай бұрын

👏 👏 👏 yes

@omarmonsif6313 Күн бұрын

I think the moral is work smarter not harder. He probably spent half that break eating the other half sharpening his axe. Once rested and armed with a shaper axe he can cut more using less effort!

@rosek.5531 6 ай бұрын

A lot of people can't afford to take a vacation in the United States, including me. In Europe you get one month PAID vacation.

@carl2072 6 ай бұрын

Hypothetical stories always support my points too haha. This one is very true tho.

@1IBInternationalBusiness 5 ай бұрын

Breaks are essential part of productivity! Do you know the Pomodoro technique?

@georgeallan3652 5 ай бұрын

That's the wrong apology. He still works for the hour sharpening the axe. They still worked the same amount he just worked smarter not harder.

@ryonlyon 6 ай бұрын

Sharpening your axe is still work, not taking a break.

@josealzaibar5274 5 ай бұрын

Sinek is an enforcer of the system of total work we live in. Even "taking breaks" should be done for the sake of work according to him. Sinek wants us all enslaved, he wants our lives to revolve and serve work.

@mattdobson7598 6 ай бұрын

If he was sharpening his axe does that really count as a break? Sounds like he’s still working to me.

@user-io2et5bv2s 4 ай бұрын

Some days you fish...some days you mend your nets!

@dorenefilion3281 3 ай бұрын

Agree with you.❤😅

@NewbFixer 5 ай бұрын

Ive got the opposite problem :)

@leonrobinson2053 4 ай бұрын

I'm confused, sharpening his axe isn't taking time off. Surely, it's about fixing your skills or tools so when you return you can do things faster or more efficiently.

@padstowphantom 5 ай бұрын

I thought the first lumberjack went off to pick wild flowers.

@liyac6982 6 ай бұрын

Makes sense, countries where people go home for lunch and take a siësta are happier and more productive

@rtmordecai1 6 ай бұрын

The real lesson of this story is that he should have asked for help. He should have put his ego aside and asked the other lumberjack the question instead of waiting and waiting until he couldn’t help but ask.

@gioggioogiuggio 6 ай бұрын

Ooooh so deep

@lisaknecht2217 6 ай бұрын

??? The one is taking an hour to sharpen the blade. He's not taking a break. He's still working.

@markreodica4082 6 ай бұрын

sharpening the saw isnt taking a break tho, it's still working during your breaks

@manieshmishraa5870 6 ай бұрын

Such a beautiful n simple story

@Isaharif 6 ай бұрын

“Give me four hours to chop an axe, and I’ll buy chopped wood from Amazon.” Gandhi Da Vinci

@spencergsmith 4 ай бұрын

This is ALMOST the correct, except that it’s about a young man and an old man lumberjack. The old man outworks the young man because he sharpens his axe, likely due to his experience of knowing why that’s important. It also emphasizes the benefits of sharpening the axe, that even an older, less physically capable man can outwork a younger, fitter one with wisdom and experience.

@drmonster6357 6 ай бұрын

which one makes more money ?

@chincf4342 24 күн бұрын

It's not just about taking a break, it's more about sharpening your axe.....

@ajeesh3485 5 ай бұрын

That's me

@harald4game 6 ай бұрын

The fail in the story is assuming sharpening the axe is a break, that's still work. The lessons maybe should be that one can be more productive if there is time to improve the tools. Another lesson could be that work is not just the doing but also preparing.

@schuylerbrock 6 ай бұрын

I think it's essential to note that he's not going home to twiddle his thumbs for an hour. He's going home to sharpen his axe and improve his work. Kinda makes me wonder how much more wood he would have chopped if he had just brought the file and whet stone to work with him. Love the story though. Always great stuff from Sinek!

@currencybuddy247paiddailyw3 5 ай бұрын

❤🎉🥳🎁🗝️'s💪 Definitely Food for Thought would also Definitely Recommend to family and friends

@jordyg5000 5 ай бұрын

For whom does the axe serve?

@garrethhawkins3204 6 ай бұрын

Why do you think sharpening his axe is taking a break? He's still working. I dont think the story is about taking breaks, you've grossly misunderstood this.