Lockdown imposed due to Covid-19 across the world has given many professionals time for themselves – something that they always complained they had less. Did you sleep well? where is the time; were you able to work on your website? where is the time; hey, did you learn photography online? where is the time; Very normal conversation with a professional before Covid-19. But how well are we utilizing the time we have now at hand?
In Indian work culture, there is no time for rest. If you slog like a donkey, reply to messages from your boss even at midnight, work on presentations waking up at 4 am, you are considered a thorough professional capable of taking on more responsibilities, leading a team and voila, you get rewarded with a promotion. Yes, and that is what we all want – to keep walking up the ladder unmindful of our lives, our priorities, family time, and our rest time.
On the other hand, what happens if you give priority to your time, your lifestyle, family, reading, resting, and brainstorming about ideas or simply calming yourself? You are considered unprofessional with no work ethics; low motivation, who is not proactive. You ultimately start irking your boss giving them excuses for not promoting you.
Most Indians end up choosing the first option, because relaxation, spending time with the family, reading, and following your passions are secondary. Worse, you start feeling guilty for not working as expected by your bosses.
My journalism days were full of anxious moments; I was busy 24×7, 365 days a year thinking only about my next story. It was work all the time. Rest was not part of the work ethic. There was no time to care about health or that of family members. There was no time to do anything worthwhile. A journalist in India knows very well how thankless the job of a journalist is.
Life away from the newsroom is no better. Indian corporate culture does not believe in giving you time to rest, thinks you are a robot born to multi-task. In fact, every job profile I come across on various job sites has multi-tasking included as a critical skill set required for professionals. Human beings are not wired to multi-task. It is that simple. Only one work at a time with full focus and concentration and that is the secret of being productive at work. Rest is critical to survival, vital for a healthy life as it reduces stress, making you more focussed at work. Rest helps in incubating ideas bringing out the true creative potential in you, adds a fresh perspective to your work, and helps you lead a balanced life.
We all need time to recover, to detox digitally, to connect with people physically and not through messages and calls. We all need time to create something new, to inspire others, to ideate.
The best way to stay productive, and creative is REST, a good 8-hour sleep. I would highly recommend that you read a book titled ‘Why We Sleep’ by Mathew Walker. He unlocks the power of sleep for all humans. It is a must-read in the present times.
Humans are not born only to work. We are here to unlock the secret of life, to think, to rest, to enjoy Life, to create great moments and to lead a life full of inspiration, creativity, happiness, and satisfaction.
Do not be addicted to work; be addicted to the gift called Life and enjoy it to the fullest.
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