All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ - is a saying we are all familiar with. And if you can instantly relate to Jack you know you have been working too hard and need to take a break.
A break? Are you kidding? Ask those working in a 24x7 setup – which is practically everywhere – and all you’ll get in response is a look of disbelief. Alarmingly, the fastest rising economy in the world doesn’t have time to sit back and relax. Unrealistic targets, enhanced matrices and tempting incentives coupled with never-ending quest for perfection is pushing us into working round-the-clock – with no time for leisure.
Agrees Soumi Dutta, senior manager for media operations: “The duration of a weekend has declined from two complete days to just one or maybe half a day now, which usually starts as late as Saturday night and doesn’t even continue till Sunday evening because your phone keeps ringing due to some or the other office urgency.”
Snehal Sharma, production assistant with a private firm, adds, “A holiday (people may define it variably) is a break from the regularities; so in that conventional sense, there is nothing like a weekend or ’leave’. Though thanks to the MNC’s & BPO’s, a large chunk of junta work for five days a week but that doesn’t actually mean there is a weekend, or rather work’end’.”
Further adding, he says, “Before the TGIF feeling can sink in, there is a fleeting sensation of the arriving Monday blues. The work, the environment and the week, which in most of the cases is an ordeal, is too prominent in the minds of people to let go for these two days.”
Occasional official urgencies are accepted and understood by all. However, the problem occurs when working beyond regular hours becomes an everyday affair. With time, stress starts taking a toll on your health, productivity falls, and your grey cells run the risk of being short-circuited! In such situations, you seriously can’t underestimate the importance of weekends. In the west especially, no wonder weekends are considered sacrosanct.
Manika Datta, principal consultant with a private firm, who stayed and studied in Australia, shares, “The way of living and working in Australia is very systemised and organised; therefore, people do spend quality time with family and friends. The weekend mood starts from Friday afternoon and even the shops shut earlier than usual on that day. People there are living happy and contended lives without the luxury of having housemaids, cooks, cleaners, drivers etc.”
Udita Dhanda, presently residing in Dubai, agrees “Weekends here are meant to be Fridays and Saturdays and as soon as the weekend arrives, people switch off their mobiles, Blackberry’s, laptops and do not work unless absolutely necessary.”
Relates Garima Misra, senior associate in a PR consultancy: “Despite today’s youth being quite clear about their working hours, they end up stretching everyday and even on weekends. Regardless of how much we love (or hate) our work or how much the 24x7 work culture has sink into us Indians, everyone does need some ‘me time’.”
Talking of work efficiency, experts believe that a human body needs the right amount of sleep, proper meal intake and the right kind of mind rejuvenation. Dr. Sanjay Chugh explains, “Just like machines, human beings have a certain capacity. If we try and push ourselves beyond this, we might be able to continue working but soon there will be problems such as stress, anxiety, skin problems, reduced energy levels, lowered stamina, reduced sex drive, smoking, alcohol dependence...the list is endless. Hence, it is imperative that we give the right kind of rest and maintenance to our system and strike a balance between work and personal life.”
Says Priya Talwar, currently pursuing MBA in UK: “Its not that people abroad are achieving the impossible. They work hard from Monday through Friday, Monday and Tuesday being the days with maximum work, but work timings in most sectors are fixed and then one can relax and rejuvenate over the weekend.”
Manika adds, “There is definitely no laidback attitude when it comes to work - no procrastination at work. Everybody takes pleasure and recreational activities as seriously as they take their work. There is a clear demarcation vis-a-vis time, for both things.”
Just like there is a time for everything in life, there is a time for leisure and recreation. Recreational activities provide that much-needed balance and positive energy to our lives without which we would burn out in no time.
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