Volume 7, #8 December 2009
Productivity Unplugged
Take Two Vacations and Call Me After the Holidays
Having lived through Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I began thinking about a day of rest. Such a day is not likely to come before December 25, what with all the holiday parties and shopping to be done. But after that, perhaps an unplugged, unproductive, un-consuming day -- or days -- would be just what the doctor ordered.
There is evidence that a 365/24/7 lifestyle takes a toll on individuals. The feeling that you can never be away from work even when you're on vacation causes stress. (A couple of years ago, Time magazine reported on research showing that one of the icons of our on-the-go culture, the cell phone, contributed to inadequate sleep for teens and adults; inadequate sleep has been linked to everything from obesity to poor memory.) Many people now recognize the value of truly getting away at least a few times a year.
But what about companies? Should we expect 100-percent uptime in our corporations? And what would it mean to "unplug" the company?
Certainly, some businesses (emergency medical services, utilities, critical IT support) need to operate around the clock. But for many other organizations, a period of enforced rest could be far more beneficial than we might imagine. Too often, corporate priorities are driven by the necessarily short-sighted view that comes from solving this afternoon's crisis, averting next week's disaster, meeting next quarter's sales targets. We concentrate so intently on the tree in front of our nose that we miss the rest of the forest.
What if we could unplug from the current business reality long enough to revisit the important questions that got us here in the first place: Why are we doing this? What, exactly is our mission? Are we truly serving our customers? Do we know exactly who our customers are?
My hunch is that doing this even just a few hours a month could help us make better decisions. A little less time running around like headless chickens, a little more time in deep contemplation -- and a whole lot more productivity.
For many of us, a perfect time to engage in this activity is coming up at the end of December. If you don't take vacation between December 25 and January 1, you will likely be far less busy than usual as you conduct business with the few colleagues who remain in their offices. You might devote an afternoon or two to daydreaming, reading old Discoveries articles, or other means of rising above the daily details to take in the bigger picture.
Those few hours or days of less-than-maximum efficiency may enhance the 365 days of 2010 in ways you never imagined. Here's to recharging for the New Year.
--Sheila Mello
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