Downtime is Never A Bad Thing

In The Shining, Stanley Kubrick portrays a writer's slow descent into madness. As an audience, we watch him pecking out words on a typewriter as he struggles to finish his first novel. Later in the movie, the writer obsessively typed, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." It is too late when the other characters discover this, and Jack is now delusionally homicidal. Kubrick is poking fun at his obsessive image and, at the same time, highlights it is helpful to take a break from writing. 

I ran away from home this weekend and attended the HMGS Little Wars game convention. It was a chance to catch up with friends, play a few board games, and shop. Instead of pecking away at a typewriter, I decided to experience a change of pace, a healthy antidote to the grind of work. These moments of rest are a great way to recharge my mental batteries and prepare for future challenges. If you are in charge of others or coaching, each business leader should remember to point out the importance of rest because all work and no play is a recipe for disaster. 

Global capitalism is not the most mentally healthy place. The demand for performance and the emotional insincerity necessary to keep customers and colleagues happy is exhausting. That exhaustion can come out at inconvenient times, as it did with MillerKnoll CEO Andi Owen during her town hall meeting with employees. These emotional outbursts create a reign of terror in the cubicles where now the people generating the revenue for the organization are worried about external forces outside their control and internal forces which are equally out of control that could spell doom for their careers. It is a toxic mix that does not have many good outcomes. 

It is why we need to prioritize rest during slow periods and times of retrenchment. Encourage people to train on new technologies. Spend time tinkering with different approaches to work and spend time with family and the ones you love. If you do these things, it will build morale in your teams and could make the office a little less crazy, and that is something we could all appreciate. 

Until next time.