“Each morning we awaken to the light, and the invitation to a new day in the world of time.”
Tick tock the clock drips off seconds as we count the minutes through the day being productive. Tick – another task done, tock – a coffee downed, tick – a meeting finished, tock – an errand ran and tick – we look to the time to wonder “is it lunch time yet?”.
Tick – lunch coma. Things blur. Our minds labour in vain to complete more tasks. To be more productive. We look at the time and it is only 2pm. The horizon of the end of day is stretch into the hazed distance. It is at this point you may ask your self what to do? I’m glad you asked. I suggest as Jess Huon said “To be unproductively productive.”. Offer yourself time to renew your mind.
Do an action to acknowledge that recovery is an important part of the relay race that is energy renewal. My favourite action? The time-space continuum warping moment called a nap. Even Albert Einstein loved it: “..I lie down in the middle of a workday** and gaze at the ceiling while I listen and visualize what goes on in my imagination.”
A little story; I remember being a photographer at an international conference on Carbon Capture and Storage at the Victoria Convention Centre. Big columns and asymmetrical shapes called architecture. After lunch, consisting of too many glazed delights from the buffet for the suited gentry. I decided to take a nap behind a little nook. What a thing to do when you are being paid $120 per hour. Everyone else was heads deep into their computers and phones so I thought “we are all choosing our own version vauguing out, right?”
Just as I nodded off a man walked up to me and leaned over asking “Are you okay mate?” Probably thinking I’d fallen into a state of requiring hospitalisation. With one eye open and head roll to the side I replied “Yes I’m just resting.”. 10 minutes later and I was back up with a refreshed perspective and ready capture the next Keynote from a blue suit.
Take it not just from some freelancer even the modern god-head gurus of Big Tech encourage their elite tech-teams the benefit of some shut eye during the working day, looking at you Google & Cisco. The question what is it that you will do during your next break session? Is lying down during paid work hours equivalent to having your dirty work shoes on grandmas plastic wrapped sofa? The highest heresy? If so, maybe warm up to getting 100% prone with some actions to renew your mind:
- Taking a walk to the closet patch of nature
- Having a seat some where quite
- Listening to some calming music
- Encouraging full breaths and noticing them in your tummy area.
And if you don’t have enough time for having a rest during the day. Well worry not. You always have night time. Tick – cook dinner, tock- put the kids to bed, tick – check reddit for memes, tock – watch that last YouTube video, tock – sleep.
“…; each night we surrender to the dark to be taken to play in the world of dreams where time is no more.”
With many thanks to my blog review buddy Steve Scott
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