Incorporate planned reductions in workload (deloading phases) into your life to increase creativity and to reduce reactive living and burnout.

Tim Ferriss says that this deloading strategy increases his creativity, productivity, and quality of life. Scheduling periods of large, uninterrupted blocks of time allows his mind to wander, ponder, and be creative. He can think of new ideas or connect core ideas. Incorporating deloading phases in life prepares your mind and body for the times of increased demand, and mitigates the risk of anxiety, stress, and burnout. Tim discovered this is the only way to swim forward instead of treading water.

1. Plan for deloading phases in your life for relaxing, learning, or creating.
   Deloading is a planned reduction in workload volume or intensity. Unless you schedule them, they will never happen. For example, an hour daily, a morning weekly, a day on the weekend, and a week yearly.

2. Work for an intense period, knowing that the deloading phase is scheduled.
   Clear the inbox, finish the project, do all the accounts, etc. Deloading phases strengthen and inform the intense work periods and reduce the reactive living that has us following everyone’s agenda except our own.

3. Have an extended period of downtime.
   Clear time for pottering around and doing whatever you feel the urge to do, with no obligations, expectations, or pressure. It is hard to ‘create’ and have ‘aha’ moments in between meetings or phone calls.