Leadership is hard.

And too many leaders burn out.

One of the main reasons for this is that we don’t rest.

Making sure we get enough rest is crucial to staying a healthy leader.

I’m not just referring to getting enough sleep at night. I’m talking about the slowing down, allowing a breather into your life, preventing you from draining yourself before it’s too late kind of rest. I’m talking about taking the time to refuel and refill yourself so that you can continue to be the leader you need to be.

Deep rest is critical. Without it we will drain ourselves, preventing effective leadership, and open ourselves up to failure, temptation, and more.

While rest is critical, most of us don’t know how to do it. Here are eight ways to build rest into your life.

Take a Personal Retreat Day
Take a day where you get away from the office and the regular routine. Ideally, you should do this once a month, or every 6 weeks. Get away from the phone, the web, email, and anything else that is a distraction.

I use a local outdoor ministry in my area. They have a small cabin I rent for the day. I bring my Bible, a couple of books, and my journal. I often bring my Life Plan and my current strategy/goals. I spend the day relaxing, reading, praying, and making sure I’m on track with where I think God is leading in my life.

Schedule these into your calendar, and don’t cancel them. Use them to refuel yourself so that you can continue being effective in your work.

Find a hobby you enjoy
Identify something you enjoy doing and take the time regularly to participate in it. For me, this comes in two forms: photography and geocaching.

I love taking photos of nature and landscapes. It relaxes me. I enjoy capturing a scene that I find captivating and coming back to it later and enjoying it all over again.

I also love geocaching. This is something I can do with my kids, and they enjoy it as well. It gets us out together, and distracts my mind from focusing on work.

Do projects around the house
Wait a minute. Is that rest? Yes, it is. Working around the house, completing home repair projects, yard work or gardening can refuel you. Is it tiring? Of course, it is. But it’s also a great way to allow your mind and spirit the opportunity to let go of the daily issues of your job, and to refocus yourself.

Take a hike, or float a river
Get out and enjoy nature. Go on a hike. This can be in the woods, or it could happen in an urban setting. It doesn’t matter. You can also canoe or kayak a nearby river or lake. I often find myself refreshed by placing myself in some natural surroundings for a while. Do this alone or with a friend or family member.

Watch a movie with your family
Some of my favorite times of relaxation are on my couch with one or more of my kids piled up around me. My kids benefit from the time spent together as well.

Read a book
Don’t read something that pertains to work. Grab a novel, sit down with a cup of coffee and spend an afternoon escaping into the worlds created by so many excellent writers. A good cup of coffee fits in with this incredibly well.

Take your day off
Don’t do work that pertains to your job on your day off. Allow this to be a time when you free your mind from those avenues. Protect this time. I actually schedule my day off into my calendar as a recurring appointment. That way, I’m never tempted to schedule something else, work related, on that day. I can honestly say that I’m booked that day. My mind and body, as well as my family, appreciate it immensely.

Make sure you get enough good sleep
I know I started off by saying that this isn’t what I was talking about. But it is a key piece in maintaining a healthy leadership mentality. Get enough sleep at night. Most adults require 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Be consistent in the times you go to bed and get up. Erratic sleep cycles can result in poor quality rest. Invest in a good mattress. Comfort while sleeping will deepen your rest and allow you to wake refreshed.

While there are many more things you can do to refuel yourself, these are just a few of the things I’ve found to be effective.

Whatever form you use, just make sure you utilize it regularly.

Burnout among leaders is becoming rampant in our society. We’ve become a culture of workaholics who disregard our own physical, spiritual, and leadership health for that extra few hours. The truth is this: there will always be something else you could be doing. Don’t just work for the sake of work. Make sure that you are doing the best that you can do, whatever that is. In order to do that, you must give your body and mind time to refresh and refuel.

Or you’ll be another burnt out statistic… Or worse.

Do you have healthy rest habits? What do you do to incorporate rest into your life? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.