The Rhythm of Life
I am a keen advocate of a good work-life balance – although I prefer the term work-home or work-leisure balance as so much of ‘work’ is part of ‘life’. When working within organisations I tried to model, talk about and even lecture colleagues on maintaining a healthy balance and not ‘over-work’. The tyranny of the urgent, or apparently urgent, meant people came in early, worked late and didn’t take proper lunch breaks away from the computer and the desk. The result was often stress, sickness and sometimes significant mistakes.
Rhythm is part of life which we disregard at our peril. We see in agriculture how the natural rhythm of the seasons produces a good crop whereas imposing an unnatural rhythm by forcing crops or animal rearing leads to inferior, bland produce. The rise in interest and value of organic produce is evidence of our appreciation of more natural, rhythmic agriculture.
In the workplace we need to recapture a healthy rhythm where it’s lost. To move away from intense deadlines and working all hours with consequent stress and burnout to a gentler rhythm. From back-to-back meetings to making time for planning and reflection between one meeting and the next. Research studies have proved that efficiency increases with a rhythmic work pattern of breaks and reasonable hours. Changes in work patterns to include more elements of a job from start to finish, whether on a factory production line or in an office environment, generate more employee satisfaction and engagement.
I’m reading Paul Valler’s book ‘Get a Life’ to help me appraise my own work-home rhythm and balance and recommend it to anyone feeling the pressure of our modern lifestyles – it’s in the 3D HR Bookstore.
