Why Rest Is Part of Sustainable Success

Not every Saturday looks like this.

If I’m honest, most involve me in full shuttle mode, hauling my 5- and 2-year-olds to one activity after another with a bunch of multi-tasking, tidying, etc., in between.

But this one was different.

Easter weekend meant no scheduled activities.

And somehow, we scored a GORGEOUS day—warm enough to swim in April!

So I took my daughters to a small lake with a little beach.

No plans. No agenda. And unexpectedly but very pleasantly: No cell service.

It felt like heaven.

(…until my 5-year-old got her leg stuck in playground equipment and my 2-year-old decided to wade into the lake while I was mid-rescue—covered in sand and butter. But that’s a story for another time 😉)

Here’s what I keep thinking about:

This is part of the quiet magic—and tension—of being both a scientist and a mother.

I'm having a particularly busy month at work.

Pre-kids, I probably would have spent most (if not all) of that Saturday working—trying to get ahead, catch up, stay on top of things.

Instead, I was… lying on a beach!

And now, sitting here on Sunday, preparing for the week ahead, I can feel the difference.

I’m clearer.

More grounded.

More energized.

Not in spite of taking that time—but because of it.

Not every Saturday can look like this.

But if we’re serious about building sustainable careers and lives, it can’t be none of them either.

So I’m curious:

👉 What actually helps you feel restored—not just productive? And how do you protect those moments?