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J.P. Morgan reportedly said, "I can do a year's work in nine months but not in twelve months." In today's age of institutionalized burnout, the message could not be more relevant. But it strikes an especially resonant chord this time of year.
Renewal, rebirth and reconnection figure prominently as themes of the approaching Jewish High Holiday season. The 10 days from Rosh Hashanah — the Day of Judgment — through Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement — call on us to perform a moral and spiritual audit. In this season, we evaluate whether we are making the most of all the talents, resources and opportunities life has provided us. It's the ultimate job review for the business of living a fully human life.
But using every minute productively does not translate to working ourselves to death. J.P. Morgan's pithy formula reminds us that the time we spend replenishing our spirit is no less essential than time spent putting nose to grindstone. As much as we need sleep to rest our bodies and food to fuel our undertakings, we also need this week's addition to the Ethical Lexicon:
Recreation (rec*re*a*tion/rek-ree-ey-shuhn) noun
Replenishment of strength and spirit after work; a means of refreshment or diversion.
It's instructional to note, however, that by adding a hyphen to the word you get:
Re-creation
The process of making a thing exist or seem to exist again in a different time or place.
The interconnection of these two ideas should tantalize our imagination. Intuitively, we expect that diverting attention and energy away from purposeful pursuits should diminish productivity. In fact, that very process transforms us into reenergized versions of ourselves better equipped to successfully perform the same activities we temporarily set aside.
We know that physical exercise is critical for mental wellbeing. But even during work hours, a proper measure of downtime and diversion keeps our brains sharp, our minds elastic and our moods positive. A little bit of playtime enables us to re-create ourselves, indulging our childlike proclivities for a few moments so we can return to the adult occupations that carry us through each day.
Of course, we need to retain our sense of balance and self-discipline. The employee who spends his whole day scrolling through TikTok or playing Candy Crush we call a loafer, an idler or a good-for-nothing. The worker who never looks away from her desktop, we describe as a workaholic or a drone. And although too many employers convince themselves that their businesses will soar by incentivizing relentless toil, a culture that promotes burnout is as toxic as one characterized by systemic laziness.
Every business need not follow Google's model of providing video arcades, ping pong tables and beanbag chairs (assuming those reports are actually true). It does mean that designing the workplace to replenish the spirit within an organizational efficiency framework will produce healthier, happier, and more productive employees.
Designing recreational breaks at work poses a greater challenge than we might think. According to research, the activities we like best may not be the most beneficial. And although we feel the need for a break in the afternoon, studies show that morning breaks provide more energy and reduce stress later in the day
Parenting gurus know that age-appropriate trust for children enables them to grow into fully functional adults. Conversely, depriving adults of autonomy makes them feel, justifiably, that they're being treated like children. Socializing during lunchtime has proven benefits, but not in the company of irascible colleagues or under the eye of hovering supervisors.
With friends, family or coworkers, the games we play can enhance (or impair) our minds and our moods. Just a few minutes of interactive games like charades, reverse charades, Hot Seat or Spot It can recharge our psychological and emotional batteries. Even alone, pastimes like solitaire (with real cards), jigsaw puzzles and juggling provide the same benefits. And if, on occasion, you can get away from the concrete and steel of the city for even a couple of hours, you will return feeling like a new person.
Ironically, indulging our youthful inclinations within responsible boundaries frees our inner child to mature and our soul to thrive. Whether at work or at home, recreation is the key to re-creation.
Rabbi Yonason Goldson is a nationally syndicated columnist, keynote speaker, award-winning podcast host, and executive coach with Vistage Worldwide, Inc. His observations on culture and ethics have been cited in Forbes, Time, Newsweek, and the Washington Post. He has given two TEDx Talks, published seven books, and serves as Executive Vice President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, Missouri Chapter. Visit him at ethicsninja.com.
Previously:
• Get Outside your Head to Look Inside your Mind
• Seeking Peace Does Not Demand Surrender
• The real-world tragedy of Inexcusable Educational Malpractice
• Why do the willfully ignorant mutate into the most intransigent ideologues?
• More Dangerous than FOMO: The Fear of Not Being Missed
• Eyes wide shut
• Increase performance by turning into the wind
• Balancing the Equation of Intentions vs. Outcomes
• To be Human is to be Exceptional
• If You Get Where You're Going, You've Taken the Wrong Road
• Think Twice Before You Take Advice
• Taking intellectual humility seriously
• What are we?
• Are we Pillaging our own Moral Depository?
• Why Sharp Tongues Lose the War of Words
• Good Intentions Never Prevail Over Cold Reality
• Sarcastic Wit Carries Too High a Cost
• Character, not as a bank account. Rather, an investment portfolio
• Are We Programming Ourselves Out of Existence?
• The bigger they come, the harder we try to make them fall
• How to Transform Fallacies Into Actionable Reality
• How to make life worth living --- no, REALLY!
• What Do Opposites Attract? Truth and Wisdom
• Groucho Marx and Embracing Tension
• Toward a more civil civilization
• Break Down Barriers of Thought to Build Towers of Innovation
• 'Tis the Season for Reflecting Beyond your Reflection
• Why Antisemitism Is Not Just a Jewish Problem
• The rank stupidity of 'Just let it go'
• To create a functioning, biblically-based civilization
• The difference between optimism and hope
• The Next Piece of the Puzzle Might Fill the Hole in Your Heart
• Self-Esteem Isn't Given -- It's Earned
• Remember the Past to Promote a Successful Future
• Are We Making Failure the Price of Success?
• Demoralization Is More About Culture than Feelings
• The Lesson We're Missing From the Death of Charlie Kirk
• Invest in Your Own Success by Building Up Others
• The Most Valiant Heroes Fight on a Different Battlefield
• How Pundits Came to Give Punditry a Bad Name
• The Wisdom of Knowing What You Don't Know
• Success Thrives in the Light of Purpose and Passion
• When Seeking Peace, Don't Release the Dogs of War
• Greta Thunberg Sails Toward Moral Hypocrisy
• Checking More Boxes Is Not the Solution
• Why Sometimes NOT Seeing Is MORE Believing
• A Healthy Diet for the Brain Promotes Ethical Clarity for the Mind
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