When you read history, you’ll find a pattern: when people who accomplish great things are in a low point, they can get by on handouts, slack off, and do nothing for a while—but they will never go and haul rebar, deliver dishes, or do assembly-line screw work. Even if they have to work, they’ll always choose something that’s relaxed and free. Planning big things requires long periods of deep thinking. People who are worn out in body and mind, with their brains dulled, can’t think through anything at all.