Why slacking off, not hard work, might be the key to success – and how to get the best from your rest.

“If there was an Olympic gold medal for ‘chillaxing’, he would win it,” is how one unnamed friend described former British prime minister Mr David Cameron’s penchant for post-lunch naps, weekend tennis matches and general fondness for fun and games. “Chillaxing” – a deliciously sticky turn of phrase when used in reference to someone running a country. Surely, said his detractors, it’s hardly appropriate for a Prime Minister to “chillax”?

Actually, it’s not so clear. In his book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less – which sees its paperback release this month –  technology forecaster and Silicon Valley consultant Mr Alex Soojung-Kim Pang debunks the notion that producing our best work requires relentless slog and miserable grind. In fact, he says, many of the greatest minds of the past and present were intimately acquainted with the art of “active rest” – comprising deliberate forms of relaxation and play that not only stop the mind and body from burning out, but actively enhance and recharge the areas and networks of the brain responsible for deep analytical thought, memory and creativity.

“In previous centuries, leading authors, scientists, politicians, and businessmen created masterpieces, won elections, and captained industries while finding ample time for long walks and regular naps, weekends away, even weeks-long vacations,” writes Mr Pang. “They learned to lean back, develop sustainable routines, and make rest an essential part of their creative lives.”

But why is this the case? Scroll down to discover three key concepts from the book, which is out now from Penguin Life.

Ever wonder why, when grappling with a difficult problem, the solution seems to pop up, almost like magic, just after a walk or some other kind of relaxing activity? It’s due to what neuroscientists call “default mode networks” (DMN) – a series of connections in the brain that gently whir into action when it’s seemingly at rest, offering up new ideas and insights ready to be accessed when the mind turns back consciously to the task at hand. Mr Pang writes: “When we rest and let our minds wander, our brains are almost as active as when we’re concentrating hard on a problem. Furthermore, while we’re not conscious of it, the ‘resting’ brain turns out to be consolidating memories, making sense of the past, and searching for solutions to problems that are occupying our waking hours.” Even just staring at a blank screen or the blink of an eye is enough to get our DMN started.

A quick look at Mr Charles Darwin’s daily routine showed that he typically “worked” for just three 90 minute periods each day, with the rest largely spent on leisurely walks, letter-writing and time with his family. Not bad for someone who wrote 25 books, including On The Origin Of Species, thereby revolutionising our understanding of nature and humanity. After analysing the schedules of some of history’s most prolific and accomplished scientists, mathematicians and writers, Mr Pang concludes that the optimum amount of time to work per day is just four to five hours, and no more than 20-25 hours per week. “This research doesn’t just present a general case for the value of rest; it shows how different kinds of rest interact with work in the course of the day, and over the course of a life,” he writes. “It shows us why some kinds of rest stimulate our creativity while others restore our creative energy. It shows us that restorative daytime naps, insight-generating long walks, vigorous exercise and lengthy vacations aren’t unproductive interruptions; they help creative people do their work.”

Unfortunately, getting turnt up in the club doesn’t constitute the kind of rest that helps you to produce your best work. Instead, if we want to stimulate creativity, mental alertness and memory, we need to integrate “deliberate rest” into our routines, which includes walks and regular afternoon naps. Experiments conducted by Stanford scientists Dr Daniel Schwartz and Dr Marily Oppezzo showed that subjects consistently performed better on tests that measure creative and lateral thinking while walking. Walking, it seems, lets the unconscious mind do its thing, letting new ideas bubble up ready to be used when we’re sat down and ready to focus consciously on a specific task or problem.

Likewise, a short nap of around 20 minutes boosts the body’s ability to concentrate by giving the body a chance to restore depleted energy. Mr Pang writes: “Regular napping can also improve memory. Just as the brain uses a good night’s sleep to fix memories, so too does it use naps to consolidate things you’ve just learned. Neuroscientist Sara Mednick found that napping for an hour or more during the day – a nap long enough to allow one to dream – improves performance on memory and perceptual tasks.”

Keep up to date with The Daily by signing up to our weekly email roundup. Click here to update your email preferences.