I believe the best way to progress in life is through moderate work.
Personally I've come to the conclusion that each person has their own pace. Some perform best slowly, others moderately, others when they are doing bursts of very intense activity. In other words, it is possible that there is no "best" recipe and it might depend on the person.
What you say about the sky (and the sun I may add) is indeed true, it can have very therapeutic effects.