Getting it done!  That's the best.  

We live in a go-go world and it’s so satisfying to knock off every item on the to-do list. Drink some caffeine, get in a quick meal, a few hours of sleep and then back at it.  

While we know that nonstop work is the recipe for burnout, our jobs and sometimes our families push us to go, go, go.  

The popularity of slow-it-down activities like meditation and yoga demonstrate the desire for healing self-time.  Some societies even enforce rest.  After all, most countries have adopted an eight-hour workday and five-day work week because policy-makers understand that people need time off to do personal stuff, relax and enjoy themselves. 

I lived in the US state of Pennsylvania for five years which had "blue laws" that were first established in 1682.  For example, blue laws prohibited alcohol sales on Sundays.  In fact, William Penn, who was deeded Pennsylvania by King Charles II in 1681, was a Quaker and blue laws were enacted in order to give people time to attend church on Sundays and observe The Lord's Day by resting.  Quakers are teetotalers and even when I lived in Pennsylvania in the 1990s, alcohol could only be sold in state run stores or bars in order to limit imbibing.  While the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled blue laws unconstitutional in 1978 due to their unenforceability, in many parts of the state, and in many other states, they are still followed. 

Germany has a similar system that severely limits Sunday and nighttime activities called ruhezeit.  Noisy activities such as mowing lawns, using power tools, playing loud music, and hosting large gatherings are frowned upon during ruhezeit. Ruhezeit rules are generally enforced by neighbors, either verbally or in writing. Municipalities can fine repeat violators and the police may even be called to enforce rest times. 

Due to ruhezeit, most shops in Germany are closed on Sundays.  Sunday streets are typically empty, and while restaurants and museums are open, the social norm is to keep noise to a minimum.  Germany's blue laws have a similar Christian origin that motivated these restrictions in Pennsylvania.  Having rules to encourage rest is a good thing. 

Or maybe not.  

Ruhezeit and similar laws do not apply to necessary workers.  But, what about freedom of choice?  I used to live in a city in which the majority of residents were Seventh Day Adventists, a Protestant sect that celebrates their sabbath on Saturday.  There was a strong social norm to rest and keep quiet on Saturdays.  For many years, the mail was even delivered to us on Sunday, rather than on Saturday, so that Adventists could rest without being disturbed.  When I first moved there, I would do my relatively noisy yard work on Saturdays.  No one complained to me, but after living there for several years I switched to doing noisy work on Sundays to respect community norms.

Some people may simply prefer to work on a Saturday or a Sunday or at night.  Having a social norm to keep quiet is one thing, but having a legal restriction is another.  The data from Immersion's SIX app that continuously measures the value people get experiences neurologically, show that many people have more high-value Key Moments on the weekend than during the week.  The weekend is when people tend to socialize and are less time-pressured than during the work week.  We have all been to amazing parties that last well into the morning because everyone is having so much damn fun.  That's the good kind of go-go experience. Laws that limit social fun also limit flourishing. 

The SIX app also shows that people regularly meet half of their goal of having six Key Moments a day during working hours.  The go-go to get stuff done is neurologically rewarding and this contributes to people's ability to thrive because work involves being of service to others.  As I have discussed before, prosocial behaviors are a very effective way to land a Key Moment.  

Here's the bottom line: what produces a Key Moment for you will be different than an experience that produces a Key Moment for me.  We all need time to rest, recover, recreate, and socialize, but ruhezeit and similar restrictions limit freedom of choice to engage in activities necessary for each individual to thrive.  So, participate in communities that promote rest and other healthy behaviors but don't forget to go-go with passion as well so that you build the neural pathways that enable thriving. 

Download the SIX app today for FREE and start on your journey to thrive.