Downtime: A critical component of productivity
When I am speaking to assembled executives and employees of a corporation, I often startle my audience by suggesting that the key to their success is in working less, not more. Relaxation is just as necessary to success as work. It is perhaps that hypothetical perfect state of existence where all of our parts and functions are in perfect order.
It is the integrated balance between our spiritual, mental and physical natures that results in a harmonious relationship with God, ourselves and our world.
Relaxation means releasing all concern and tension, and letting the natural order of life flow through one’s whole being. Relaxation is “doing what comes naturally”.
Moreover, relaxation is the realisation that since we will probably never get all the things done that we want to do, it is better to approach life easily and realistically, doing the best we can, and not being too demanding of ourselves.
The most common error in today’s typical work habit, as I see it, is not that people aren’t working hard enough (they surely are), but they are not giving themselves enough quality leisure-relaxed time. And their work is suffering as a result. Relaxation is not a reward for a job well done, it is part of the job. This is an important distinction. You don’t oil and grease your car at their end of a long journey: you need the oil and grease during the journey so that your car will run smoothly. Relaxation or leisure allows you to relax, to let go, to give the mind a break to “sit loose”.
This is necessary, for it is when the mind is in a state of relaxation, away from the quotas and deadlines, that creative ideas are given the opportunity to surface and make themselves known.
Any successful businessman knows this. Customers are attracted to a harmonious atmosphere, and are much more likely to buy when the atmosphere is relaxed.
The merchant, tradesman and professional man alike all profit from cultivating an inner feeling of relaxation. It helps to create a similar atmosphere in everything around you.
When pressures are released, all that is best in us has a chance to take over. Ill-temper, irritation and anxiety all disappear when we are relaxed. Good humour is the natural result, and this is one of the greatest business assets in the world. In a sense, everyone is in business. We can only succeed outside if we are right inside.
This means we must start with relaxation.
Pressure kills prosperity, relaxation builds it. Universities have, for centuries, operated with this principle. They call it a sabbatical. Faculty members are entitled to a one-semester sabbatical, with pay, every six or seven years. They often extend their sabbaticals by taking a second semester off without pay.
They are encouraged to take this time off to study or travel, and most importantly, to escape from the duties of professorships. The theory is that after the break, the professor will come back invigorated, with new, stimulating ideas that in turn will enrich the university and its students.
The theory is well- grounded in fact. Firstly, a sabbatical should help you gain a new perspective on your work and life, and this is of immense import. Secondly, it provides an opportunity for someone else in the form to take on different responsibilities.
We have been taught, wrongly, that hard work is the way to success, Hard work without the balance of relaxation or leisure almost always leads to failure.
It is the relaxation and leisure time between work that allows you to return to your project again and again, refreshed, with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.
There are times when we should not see people, times when we should have a place of refuge, a place out of the normal scope of living, a place where we can be alone and focus. When we draw away for a time, we can see and hear much more clearly how to go ahead. As the Zen saying goes, “The bow kept forever taut will break”.
Give yourself quality time to relax; there’s something invigorating and renewing about retreating to a quiet place of rest and peace. Silence is an environment in which great ideas are birthed.