Human beings are not only designed to connect, exchange, learn and work to survive & thrive in life, we also need to rest. Rest is crucial.

As I see it there are two levels of rest. The first involves the ceasing of work, and the other involves sleep.

These two levels depend upon two different yet connected routines: our wake/sleep schedule and our work/no-work schedule.

Our Wake/Sleep Schedule

There is a natural alternating pattern that we all experience. That is: being awake, then being asleep, and then being awake again.

This pattern is typically tied to the natural alternating pattern of day and night, established by the rising and setting of the sun, but not always.

With the common use of artificial light, coupled with our keeping time by looking to a clock instead of the sky, our wake-sleep schedule is oftentimes detached from our natural environment.

Our Work/No-Work Schedule

There are two timekeeping methods we all have inherited:

The 24-hour clock and
The 7-day calendar week.

The 24-hour clock comprises of twelve equal AM hours and twelve equal PM hours, none of which are directly tied to the natural light.

The 7-day calendar week comprises of seven 24-hour periods, which we refer to as Sunday through Saturday. None of these 24-hour periods are directly tied to the natural light either, let alone to any natural element such as the sun, moon & stars. The 7-day block of time isn’t tied to them either (as far as I’m aware).

A Traditional View

Within these two timekeeping methods there is a traditional view regarding:

Keeping a wake/sleep schedule and
Keeping a work*/no-work schedule.

The traditional wake/sleep schedule typically involves an average waking period of 16-17 hours encompassing the daytime. And 7-8 hours are designated for sleep, generally during the night.

The traditional work/no-work schedule (at least here in America) is working from 9AM to 5PM, Monday through Friday. And then of course, the preparation for work and commute to/from the workplace is attached to that.

Then, time off from work takes place from the late evening to the early morning (Monday – Friday) and all day & night on the weekends.

However, for many of us our actual experience as it relates to wake/sleep & work/no-work has been very different.

*Financial employment

In My Personal Experience

I was raised in a family where my father was self-employed. He largely worked out of our home at all hours of the day (& into the night) and practically every day of the week to some degree.

And my mother, for a significant portion of my teenage years, worked the night shift, either from 11PM to 7AM or 7PM to 7AM, on an ever-changing weekly schedule that spanned the whole week.

In my early 20s, I punched a timeclock in workplaces that followed the traditional work week, and my sleep schedule was fairly routine.

Then in my early 30s, I took a salaried position, and my work schedule at times bled into the night and on occasion over into the weekends. However, for the most part, I maintained a regular wake/sleep routine.

But then, in my mid-30s, with the birth of my first child, I transitioned to a work-at-home-and-online-mom situation. And, well, that’s when “work” for me began to be much more than just financial employment. And my wake/sleep routine was naturally affected.

For the next twenty-plus years, finding and maintaining a healthy work** schedule and wake/sleep routine has been a constant struggle.

I’ve found that the Internet, being constantly open & available for worldwide instant communication and commercial exchange at our fingertips with the assistance of artificial light that illuminates our screens, has created a 24/7 working environment and has obliterated the traditional views of the wake/sleep & work/no-work schedules.

And I’m afraid it’s killing us.

**More than just financial employment

Turning Back to the Light…

In my view, in order to survive and thrive going forward, I believe we all need to make rest a priority in our lives.

I personally have chosen to turn back to the Light — and to the wisdom of the ages — to pursue a more natural way of life.

While I’m not eliminating all artificial light, I do think there is wisdom in keeping with a wake/sleep schedule that aligns with the natural light when it comes to the second level of rest.

Note of Importance: The natural light to darkness distribution of each day changes throughout the year. In the summer, there’s more light than darkness and in the winter the reverse is true. Therefore, I believe our wake/sleep schedules should reflect this, calling for us to sleep more in the winter than what we’d typically do in the summer.

When it comes to the first level of rest, when we align ourselves to the natural light throughout the year the amount (& potentially type) of work we do will naturally fluctuate. Given this, it stands to reason that we may work more in the spring, summer and fall than in the winter. (“Work” being more than just financial employment.)

As for the wisdom of the ages, I don’t really know the basis for a 7-day week — I can only speculate.

But I believe there is wisdom in taking the last day of each week off from work. Because in my experience doing so gives me something to look forward to (a much-needed rest) and makes for a much more productive remainder of the week.

In Conclusion

I believe incorporating adequate rest which aligns with the natural order of light and darkness (& the wisdom of the ages) into our daily lives is a must for our survival, prosperity, longevity and peace.

There you have it. My take on human connections, exchanges, life-long learning, working (beyond just financial employment) and rest.

Does any of this resonate with you? If so, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

To see some of what we’re doing to carry out these takes in pursuit of our shared mission, please check out our blog.

[This page was written by Carrie (not Kelly) and last updated 10/24/25.]