5 Strategies To Rest When You Have No Time

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com.

We are living in a time when the demands on workers and leaders is higher than ever. And although Gallup reports in 2025 that overall working hours have decreased slightly from 2019 to 2024 (from an average of 44.1 to 42.9 hours per week), 89% of employees globally experienced at least one mental health challenge in the past year, according to Lyra Health’s “2025 State of Workforce Mental Health Report.” A natural antidote that may come to mind: people need more rest.

But what can one do when there is no time for rest?

Especially at this time of year (and especially this year), the challenge is compounded by converging pressures. Year-end deadlines coincide with holiday and family obligations. Prolonged economic uncertainty also plays a role, with many professionals hedging against potential layoffs by job searching while working full-time or building side hustles during what would have been personal time. And for women and caregivers especially, work responsibilities represent only one dimension of their daily demands, with family and community obligations creating a baseline load that never truly subsides. Deloitte’s “Women @ Work 2025: A Global Outlook” report confirms the toll: 43% of women rank mental health as a top concern (second only to financial security at 47%). The strain is real.

The solution is not about finding more time—it’s about using the time you already have differently. Rather than waiting for extended time off or perpetually telling yourself, “I just need to make it through these next two weeks,” you can integrate micro moments of rest and recovery throughout your workday. Here are five strategies, starting with the easiest to adopt, to incorporate more micro (and even “nano”) rest and recovery—and renew your sense of autonomy—into an already-packed weekly schedule.

Harness “Dead Time” For Deep Breathing

Find micro-moments for deep breathing. This strategy requires no additional time allocation because it works like this: Whenever your computer freezes or you’re waiting for an app to load or a webpage needs to refresh, build a habit of taking three deep breaths. And if you don’t work with technology as much, analog examples of “dead time” include waiting in line, washing your hands or riding an elevator or escalator. If you can safely do so, close your eyes while you’re doing your deep breathing so that you can focus on your breath (and reduce eye strain if you do spend much of your day in front of screens).

Regular deep breathing helps regulate our nervous system and pull us out of a constant state of fight-or-flight (a seminal peer-reviewed neuroscience study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience from 2018 found evidence that slow breathing had positive effects on well-being).

Release Physical Tension In Your Body

Commit to relaxing your muscles a few times throughout the workday. We often hold stress in different parts of our bodies. Set visual or calendar reminders to unclench your jaw, unfurrow your brow, roll your shoulders back and down or gently tilt your head side to side to relax your neck muscles.

If you’re able to, extend your nano stretch break into a 60-second micro stretch break (try a calf stretch or child’s pose). Small actions add up over time and nano and micro stretch breaks like this can help prevent painful chronic conditions from developing—as well as regulate your nervous system.

Take Strategic Micro Breaks

Take micro breaks from work and your usual workspace. Changing your environment and moving away from your workspace for even five to 15 minutes can leave you feeling refreshed or even give you a new perspective on your work. Moving your body will help increase blood flow and oxygenation, which brings numerous health benefits. Movement can also boost your energy and sharpen your focus. If you work remotely, take one to five minutes to do some jumping jacks or high knees.

Say No So You Can Say Yes to Micro Rest

You may have noticed that taking more substantial breaks requires making time. This brings us to possibly the hardest strategy of all: saying no. Whether it’s declining an unnecessary meeting or ignoring a request that could be resolved another way, saying no reclaims time in your day. While it might take a while to strengthen this practice—and it might require some direct conversations with others at work—to work more sustainably, it’s absolutely crucial to be willing to say no.

And if you’re not yet convinced, remember Peter Block’s message from his book, The Answer To How Is Yes: If you never say no, then your yes means nothing. And if it’s impossible to say no to larger commitments like meetings, start by saying no to just one perceived “must.” That intention and mental shift alone can bring about other opportunities for micro rest.

Reclaim Time For Rest By Being More Efficient

When declining requests truly isn’t feasible, you can still reclaim time for micro rest during the workday by eliminating any inefficiencies within your control. Microsoft’s survey of 31,000 people across 31 countries in 2023 revealed that 68% of workers don’t have enough uninterrupted focus time during the workday. To decrease interruptions, batch similar tasks together to reduce the cognitive cost of context-switching. Designate specific time periods as email-free zones throughout your day. Schedule blocks of strategic thinking time in your calendar so others cannot schedule over them. Even reclaiming ten minutes per workday through increased efficiency means 50 more minutes a week for genuine rest and recovery.

Rest As An Act Of Leadership

Rest is a daily necessity for sustained performance, meaningful impact and physical and mental well-being. The pressure of work and life in tumultuous times can make time feel scarce. Reframe rest as something that can be practiced on a micro or even nano level and see what might shift for you. Choose whichever strategy or tactic from the list above—or perhaps those inspired you to try something else. The important thing is to simply start somewhere. Taking even the smallest step models the kind of sustainable leadership our world needs.