Ford, the automobile man, stated in his testimony before the Industrial
Commission that he gets more and better work out of men at eight hours a
day than at ten.
It is a law that holds good everywhere. The first duty of a worker is to
keep himself fit. And an hour’s labor when he is up to the mark, bright,
keen, and enthusiastic, is worth three hours’ effort when he is fagged.
“Keeping everlastingly at it brings success” is a lying motto; it rather
brings poor results, slipshod products, and paresis.
Rest and recreation are the best parts of labor. They are the height to
which the hammer is lifted; and the force of the blow depends on that
height. To go ahead without let-up is to deliver only a succession of
feeble, ineffective blows.
Get all the sleep you can. Stay abed all day occasionally. Learn to be
lazy, to dawdle, to enjoy an empty mind; then, when you are called to
effort, you can hit with ten times the power.
The higher the quality of your work, the more necessary it is that you
approach it only when you are at your best.
This is especially true of intellectual effort. You can tell, when you
read a story or an article, whether it is tainted with exhaustion; it is
dull, lifeless putty.
Those who court the quality of brightness, but do not keep their bodies
in trim, often resort to artificial stimulants. Stephen Crane said that
the best literature could be divided into two classes: whisky and opium.
Intelligent people ought not need to be told that this is suicide. The
best form of enthusiasm is the natural reaction of one’s system after a
period of relaxation.
The pestiferous “work-while-you-rest” apostles are ever after us to
“improve our spare time,” study French during lunch, geometry while
going to sleep, and history during recess. But spare time ought to be
wasted, not improved.
An hour or so at the ball-game, a contest at tennis, a long and aimless
walk, a party at cards, a chess match, or a time spent in jolly talk
with friends are not waste; they mean restored strength, upbuilt mental
acumen, the doubling of efficiency when work is to do.
Learn to let go. Learn to relax utterly when you sit down. Learn to let
every faculty lie down when you lie down, and rest whether you sleep or
not.
The more thoroughly you do nothing when there is nothing to do, the
better you can do something when there is something to do.
The very cream of life comes from rest. The blush, the aroma, the shine
of your best work lie in the hours of idleness massed behind it. The
secret of brilliant work is in throwing every atom of your reserve force
into it. Perpetual exertion begets mediocrity.
“Keep fit.”
That is a better rule than “Keep at it.”