The Busy trap

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mpw

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Hi,

From the article:
"Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done."


Go to this to read more

The 'Busy' Trap - NYTimes.com

Good one..:)

enjoy

mpw
 
This is the sort of article that one wouldn't find on Lifehacker.

Who knows Lifehacker? Actually, there is often really useful and practical stuff there, but the general sense of the site is to cram more and more into one's life until there isn't room for life itself. Be more productive... How to save ten seconds on folding socks (don't, except you wouldn't find that advice on obsessive-compulsive lifehacker) so you can have thirty seconds a week more for ...what? Making love? Listening to music? No! All these people ever think of is work! I gave up lifehacker in despair at this stuff, despite the useful bits.

I've seen obsessive compulsive disorder in a friend, and I know what a serious mental illness it can become. I genuinely believe that all this military-bed-making and perfect-sock-rolling encourages it those where it may be latent. Seriously dangerous stuff.

Sheesh, I'm glad I never had a problem with being idle :D. Actually, it is something my mum taught me at an early age: never worry about having nothing to do.

(But then, I didn't get rich)
 
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Thad E Ginathom said:
...but the general sense of the site is to cram more and more into one's life until there isn't room for life itself. Be more productive... How to save ten seconds on folding socks (don't, except you wouldn't find that advice on obsessive-compulsive lifehacker) so you can have thirty seconds a week more for ...what? Making love? Listening to music? No! All these people ever think of is work! ...
Click to expand...

Whew! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person who thinks this. I do regularly read Lifehacker (everyday, actually) and I wonder if people do take efficiency this seriously. I'm myself considered to be quite OCD by my friends and others who know me, but the cult of Lifehacker scares me, and makes me wonder if I'm actually slacking off!

@mpw, I agree wholeheartedly with the article, and I do believe (and have experienced) that 90% of creative thinking, and the thought process that actually contributes to work happens during my off-time, which I quite deliberately take lots and lots of. Even while at work, I walk up and down my office corridor for about 10-15 minutes every two hours to clear my head and actually think.
 
I wonder if people do take efficiency this seriously.
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Far too seriously, I'm afraid.

I was always glad nobody ever tried to give me a mission statement. I did amuse myself thinking what my own might be, Something like...

"I get paid quite well, and I will do my job to the best of my ability, but there are going to good days and bad days, even bone idle days. I do get paid enough not to worry about the extra hour or three here or there, but hey, I have a private life, and whether I enjoy my job or not, I work to live, not the other way around..."

You can imagine that am American MNC and I would never have got on!

(Oddly, I did work for a big Japanese company, and, of course, they are ultra-serious about work --- but somehow we managed to get on together)
the thought process that actually contributes to work happens during my off-time, which I quite deliberately take lots and lots of. Even while at work, I walk up and down my office corridor for about 10-15 minutes every two hours to clear my head and actually think.
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Too true. Many an answer came to me when going out for a smoke. Realising this, after I gave up tobacco, I'd just go out for a walk sometimes. I'd also spend time having a laugh and a joke before getting down to anything really serious.
 
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Emptiness is the right word. One of my friends was diagnosed with depression and he could not do anything else other than office work.
The true emptiness reflects, when you do not have a job for a while. People do not realize how much their jobs defines them until they have lost it.
 
I have not worked for about ten years. The lead up to redundancy, long and drawn out, in a department that was increasingly sidelined until we had nothing to do but surf the net, was emotional and damaging. The final ten months, however, at home on full pay, taking a phone call occasionally (once or twice a month! :)), was wonderful, and the only thing I miss now is the salary.

There is no need to be defined by one's job, unless it is real vocation like medicine, sport or art. Work to live: don't live to work!

Cartoon in today's paper. Business man on phone: "I'll have to call you back, I'm just going into an important coffee break." :lol:

.
 
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This is something that needs to be spread a lot more. Too many busy people around for comfort! Spare time to enjoy the good things in life.
 
@Thad, You quit smoking? Haven't you heard about the good old adage "Smokers don't quit and Quitters don't smoke (or win)":D

@mpw Thanks for reminding William Blake's School boy
 
The article may make some sense for western audiences ... but for Indians? Noooo, we have always been the masters of the art of idleness. There is always an escape route from action for an Indian. Maya, Karma, Dharma ...... Remember, it was Indians who made doing nothing quite respectable. These days it goes by a fancy name of 'meditation' :)
 
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:lol:

But... I see so many people putting so much into their work. I have seen people get home, and be called back to the office mid-evening for a meeting. There would only have one answer from me to such an invitation, or to an invitiation for a pre-9.00am meeting, and it would not have been polite.

I did once get a call saying there was smoke in my server room: I made an exception for that and got straight on the train! But if managers cannot organise themselves to fit in with their staff and their contracted hours, that is their problem, not mine.

I suppose every job here has a queue of people waiting to fill it. Is it just that, or that people have not learnt to say no to bosses?
 
hydra said:
Whew! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person who thinks this. I do regularly read Lifehacker (everyday, actually) and I wonder if people do take efficiency this seriously. I'm myself considered to be quite OCD by my friends and others who know me, but the cult of Lifehacker scares me, and makes me wonder if I'm actually slacking off!

@mpw, I agree wholeheartedly with the article, and I do believe (and have experienced) that 90% of creative thinking, and the thought process that actually contributes to work happens during my off-time, which I quite deliberately take lots and lots of. Even while at work, I walk up and down my office corridor for about 10-15 minutes every two hours to clear my head and actually think.
Click to expand...

Yesterday, the movers brought about 50 boxes into the flat. I got mad with one of the boys because he did not line them up with the floor tiles.
In retrospect...I wonder if I have a problem ..... !! :)
 
am glad for this thread.. to see 11 posts.. atleast this gets you thinking doesnt it ??

thatguy - increasingly Indians are aping the west in almost everything. You are correct in the sense that no one can teach this age old civilization how to live - but we are losing touch with our past ( i believe ) and also with meditiation..

Ironically - it is things like yoga, meditation and discipline.. which if used properly facilitate the individual to perform to the best of his or her ability in this competitive cut throat environment.

I think the article alludes to preofessional development vs developing oneself.

regards,
mpw
 
I interact with a lot of Germans due to my work and I've traveled extensively to Germany. I have always marveled at their work ethic. The people I know and meet regularly are in the engineering area with seriously huge setups involving several to hundreds of millions of Euros (to give you a scale of the work they are involved in).

As a general rule all of them show up for work at 8:00 am on the dot. Lunch is at 12:00 and the work day is done by 4:00. They work 5 days Mon - Fri and for all purposes Friday is a virtual half day with everyone waiting for the clock to show 4:00 and they are off for the weekend. Some of the very dedicated types come in early to work some as early as 6:00 am either to catch up or just have some quiet time to themselves for intensive work. All of them leave the premised by 4:00.

Yet their productivity is off the charts! Year on year their companies have shown growth of 20% plus on average with some years being much more. What is amazing is they have a very high quality of life with evenings spent in their "local" having a beer after dinner with friends. The drinks and food is amazing quality even in the smallest of towns. Some of the villages I have been have treasures in terms of local schnapps and liqueurs which are usually hand made locally.

I can go on but the short story is that quality time off really helps even the most busy people in every way.
 
mpw said:
am glad for this thread.. to see 11 posts.. atleast this gets you thinking doesnt it ??

thatguy - increasingly Indians are aping the west in almost everything. You are correct in the sense that no one can teach this age old civilization how to live - but we are losing touch with our past ( i believe ) and also with meditiation..

Ironically - it is things like yoga, meditation and discipline.. which if used properly facilitate the individual to perform to the best of his or her ability in this competitive cut throat environment.

I think the article alludes to preofessional development vs developing oneself.

regards,
mpw
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Thanks for the blog. I was amazed by the 'busyness' with the people around me . A mad rush. I always felt that I am out of the race with them , feeling like lost the race from the start. After reading the article, I am releived!:)

vjc
 
Nikhil said:
I interact with a lot of Germans due to my work and I've traveled extensively to Germany. I have always marveled at their work ethic. The people I know and meet regularly are in the engineering area with seriously huge setups involving several to hundreds of millions of Euros (to give you a scale of the work they are involved in).

As a general rule all of them show up for work at 8:00 am on the dot. Lunch is at 12:00 and the work day is done by 4:00. They work 5 days Mon - Fri and for all purposes Friday is a virtual half day with everyone waiting for the clock to show 4:00 and they are off for the weekend. Some of the very dedicated types come in early to work some as early as 6:00 am either to catch up or just have some quiet time to themselves for intensive work. All of them leave the premised by 4:00.

Yet their productivity is off the charts! Year on year their companies have shown growth of 20% plus on average with some years being much more. What is amazing is they have a very high quality of life with evenings spent in their "local" having a beer after dinner with friends. The drinks and food is amazing quality even in the smallest of towns. Some of the villages I have been have treasures in terms of local schnapps and liqueurs which are usually hand made locally.

I can go on but the short story is that quality time off really helps even the most busy people in every way.
Click to expand...

I think all Europeans are meticulous in work and play. Above all they are focussed in their work. Not 'jack-of-all-trades' variety like us. Besides, the resources and economy are quite strong that they can maintain the luxuary life 'at any cost' and the very high quality life easily affordable.

vjc
 
Nikhil said:
As a general rule all of them show up for work at 8:00 am on the dot. ... All of them leave the premised by 4:00.

Yet their productivity is off the charts!
Click to expand...

I guess this is proper use of time, rather than being in the office for 16 hours just for show. Some of my Japanese collegues told me that they were often in the office for no other reason than it "wasn't done" to go home before your boss did!

I believe that individuality should be taken into account. Some will say that they like to get to an office at 6.00am to get work done before every one else arrives. It's all I could do to be there by 9.30, when I should have arrived at 9.00 --- but you might have found me there at 9.00pm! You might even have found me lazing and chatting my way through the day, knowing I was going to get down to serious work in the evening. So, never let a boss tell me to work outside hours, but let me choose to!

(Of course, as a systems manager, some things have to be done outside hours. That's accepted, its part of the job. It is not the same as some idiot wanting a 7.00pm meet because he lazed his way through the day :rolleyes:)

Added to which, much managerial "urgency" is not urgency at all: it's ego.
 
Thad, I have never been a fan of working late. I realize that work compulsions dictate this but I have never asked anyone who worked with me to stay late unless absolutely necessary. Over all I think its a productivity killer.
 
thatguy said:
The article may make some sense for western audiences ... but for Indians? Noooo, we have always been the masters of the art of idleness. There is always an escape route from action for an Indian. Maya, Karma, Dharma ...... Remember, it was Indians who made doing nothing quite respectable. These days it goes by a fancy name of 'meditation' :)
Click to expand...
haha :D.. that is real .. 60 % people in our villages remain idle most of the time , most house hold and other females get essentially idle during saans-bahu Tv series , the list goes on on ..

i remember a friend whos company branch office was near his paying guest. every afternoon he used to go from 1-3pm sleeping there and others used to call him when people from main office used to come ..

When asked they will tell " He has gone for paan" .

One day he switched off the cell and the "paan eating hours" came to light .
He managed to convince that he had gone weak from recent fever..and taking precautions.:lol::lol::lol:
 
Nikhil said:
Thad, I have never been a fan of working late. I realize that work compulsions dictate this but I have never asked anyone who worked with me to stay late unless absolutely necessary. Over all I think its a productivity killer.
Click to expand...
A senior manager (friend, not colleague) once told me that he did not allow overtime, because overtime simply meant being understaffed, and if one person was expected to do more than one person's job, the work would not get done properly.

On the other hand, some jobs have seasonal demands. For a long time, I had a very cushy, mostly very relaxed job in which we would be very busy for about two weeks three or four times a year. Fine, one goes with that sort of stuff. Then there are emergencies and stuff that goes wrong: I once worked over thirty hours between Friday evening and Sunday night (Actually because a contractor screwed up an upgrade), eventually going home to a long sleep and leaving a note saying I would not be there at 9.00am on Monday.

I think that managers should look after their staff, not the other way around.

I think we should all be bolshy, not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of, but have a little practical flexibility.
 
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