3 Things On My Mind This Week
Take More Breaks
Introduction:
“Men of lofty genius sometimes accomplish the most when they work least,” Leonardo da Vinci.
In today's burnout culture, it's important to recognize that productivity isn't about constant work but, rather, finding the balance between work and taking breaks to create space for rest, creativity, and enhanced efficiency.
The Threefold Benefits of Breaks:
Leonardo da Vinci's point is echoed by Adam Grant, in Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things.
Grant says that taking breaks holds at least three distinct benefits. First, time away from practice sustains passion, allowing individuals to maintain a deep connection and enthusiasm for their work. Second, breaks unlock fresh ideas, as discovered in research conducted with Jihae Shin, boosting creativity when coupled with a passion toward a task. Last, breaks deepen learning, with experiments revealing that a mere ten-minute break after learning something can improve recall by 10 to 30 percent, showcasing even more substantial benefits for stroke and Alzheimer’s patients.
Quality Over Quantity:
In his book Feel Good Productivity, Ali Abdaal cites a study that challenges the conventional belief that more work leads to productivity. The most accomplished workers, as revealed in the study by the software company Draugiem Group, are not those who chain themselves to their desks. Instead, they strategically incorporate breaks into their workflow, boasting a work-to-break ratio of fifty-two minutes of work to seventeen minutes of rest. This demonstrates that constant effort produces diminishing returns.
The Myth of the Workaholic:
In Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, Nir Eyal underscores the counterproductive nature of long working hours. Studies have found that workers exceeding fifty-five hours per week not only experience reduced productivity but also make more mistakes and impose more unnecessary work on their colleagues. I know that when I am scrambling to take on too much, my work quality suffers and is passed along to others. Saving myself 20 minutes by rushing to do something now, instead of after a break and when I can focus, can easily cost others hours of work.
The point being, prolonged work hours do not increase productivity.
Conclusion:
Taking more breaks is a strategic approach to enhancing productivity, quality of work, and quality of life. By adopting a healthy break habit into your schedule, you can achieve more while avoiding burnout and fostering a healthier work environment.
Judgment and the "Crabs in a Bucket" Mentality
Passing judgment on others is a common human trait. It stems from encountering identities that we have rejected for ourselves.
For instance, we judge a heroin addict because we have the sense not to fall down that path. But most judgment occurs over trivial matters, like disapproving of someone's attire simply because it doesn't align with our own style. We judge identities that we perceive as different or threatening to our own.
We all do it. But have you ever stopped to think about why we judge others and the impact it has on our personal growth?
Judgment is rarely passed with clarity. People don’t come up to you and say, “I don't like the way you present yourself.” Instead, judgment is often concealed behind snide remarks or disguised as harmless banter. People opt for covert comments like "new shoes?" or "that's what you always order." It's a way of subtly urging the person being judged to conform to the standards set by the judger, reinforcing the judger's ego and validating their chosen identity.
This phenomenon extends to the "crabs in a bucket" mentality. When you strive to improve yourself, you naturally stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, this different behavior becomes a target for others who feel threatened by your growth.
When they pass these covert judgments, the goal is clear – to pull you back into the bucket with them. People who have already climbed out of the metaphorical bucket rarely engage in these undermining comments. They either remain quiet about your decisions or offer genuine support.
Growing requires resilience against such judgment. While surrounding yourself with supportive individuals is beneficial, it's not always possible in every social setting. We don’t get to choose who we’re surrounded by, in arenas from work to family. Nevertheless, enduring judgment is a crucial part of the journey towards personal growth.
To minimize your own judgment, it's essential to be introspective. Ask yourself why you are passing judgment. Recognize that someone not sharing your values doesn't make them better or worse; they are merely in a different space and time at this moment. By being less judgmental, you help foster an environment where everyone can thrive in their own way.
In the end, your own growth is strengthened by embracing differences, understanding the motives behind judgment, and rising above the "crabs in a bucket" mentality — neither pulling others down nor listening to the voices at the bottom of the bucket.
How I Created A Mission
Having a mission in life can provide a framework for personal growth, decision-making, and help you find more fulfillment in the various roles we play.
For years I would read advice online about focusing on your mission or purpose and didn’t know what it meant. I had lots of interests and goals, but what did it mean to have a mission?
In the summer of 2022 I was staying at a closet of an Airbnb in Sayulita, Mexico.
I was new to surfing and wanted to check out this hippie, backpacker spot I had read good things about. It was a short flight from Texas and the promise of delicious tacos made it an easy decision.
In my carry-on bag was the book NLP: The New Technology of Achievement, a thorough read I had stumbled upon to teach me about NLP and keep me up with my daily reading goal while I was on vacation. NLP is not without controversy, but my rule of thumb is that great things are usually controversial, and what is popular is usually wrong. So there was no hesitation in my mind to learn more about this sorcery.
Among the many lessons, the book walks the reader through a series of exercises to identify their mission for the purpose of goal setting. I have taken the liberty of summarizing, condensing, and modifying the book’s process here with the goal of helping you develop a mission.
First, what are your current goals and pursuits right now? Write them down. Are you working on any personal, professional, social, or philanthropic pursuits? Do you have a financial goal or are you saving for a vacation or significant purchase?
When I conducted this exercise, my goals were based on my activities at the time. I had a reading goal, a surfing goal, a jiu-jitsu goal, and various pursuits like meditation and traveling to new places.
Next, look at these goals and pursuits and evaluate them against this list of values and principles. What values and principles are you exploring with your chosen goals and pursuits? Some of them might not be obvious at first. For instance, your financial goal might be about achieving security, or in my case, traveling to new places was about learning in addition to adventure. Write these values and principles down next to your goals.
Next, look at these values and principles. Are any of them recurring? Do any of them fit with multiple goals and pursuits, or even all of them? This is your deepest value and will be the core part of your mission. In my case, learning was involved in all of my goals. When I conducted this exercise at the age of 38, it was the first time I had ever realized that learning was my passion in life, and that this is what drives me. I hope you notice a similar pattern with your list.
Now that you have an idea of your deepest held value, contemplate this in the context of the various roles you play in your life. Below is a cheat sheet. In my example, I first recognized that I am a learner. I then identified roles I play, including a warrior, colleague, subordinate, brother, friend, coach, and neighbor. You will likely have different roles, but write them down. How does your deepest value contribute to the roles you play in life?
Finally, to create a mission, you are tying these elements together. Start with a simple sentence or two that defines who you are, then tie it to what you will do in the context of the roles you play in your life, and try to incorporate other important values and principles from your first list. As a learner with roles including a colleague, friend, brother, here is how I wrote mine:
I am a learner. I want to seek new knowledge and experiences, learn everything that I can from them, try to master them, and then share this insight to help others. This creates freedom, happiness, and personal growth – an exciting and rich life.
I hope this exercise gives you some clarity too.
I have found that knowing this about myself helps frequently with decision making. When torn between two or more options, I can use this to filter out what will bring me more value. I also find it very helpful for finding motivation and purpose in various activities.
In fact, what prompted me to write this was a book I am reading about workplace wellness. The book speaks about the importance of finding purpose in your work, and led me to contemplate how my purpose aligns with various functions I perform day to day. The result is seeing potentially tedious or stressful tasks from the perspective of how they can drive me.