We all know the harmful effects of overwork. People get tired and irritable. Without enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done -- much less the things we want to do -- life is stressful and unpleasant. Exhaustion and stress can and do lead to illness and lowered resistance to disease. People feel cheated and abused, and they get angry. All too often, the anger is expressed in an aggressive, violent or self-destructive way.
Highly linear forms of behaviour ? too much eating, too little sleep, too much hostility, too little physical activity, too little sleep, too much continuous stress ? lead to higher incidence of illness and even death.
Tired and stressed workers will do nothing to improve productivity and economic growth. WORKING long hours is damaging families and the health of employees.
All this takes its inevitable toll on personal relationships. Families break up at an increasing rate, friendships are strained, and the pain is compounded by the guilt and anxiety felt over failed relationships.
The average American today spends 1,949 hours at his or her job. This is 163 hours more than in 1969 -- 163 hours equals nearly a whole month of added work in a year.
Naturally, more work time means less leisure time. A recent survey indicated an average of only 16 to 17 hours per week of leisure time after job and household responsibilities. The leisure time people do have often can't be fully taken advantage of because they're too tired for the activities they'd otherwise choose to do. Many of us don't have the energy for much more than flopping down in front of the TV.
It is common for the American worker to be compared to a long distance runner. The symptoms show up like an athlete who has over trained, by pushing themselves relentlessly with very limited recovery.
The biggest problem in American business today is the feeling that nothing is ever finished. There is no satisfaction to be derived from a job well done because there is always another demand to be met. We're all running on the endless treadmill. As adults we must realize the need for rest and recovery.
As best selling authors, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in their groundbreaking book, Power of Full Engagement, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness and life balance.
They stress that we are wired up, but we are melting down. It is not the intensity of energy expenditure that produces burnout, impaired performance and physical breakdown, but rather the duration of expenditure without recovery.
At a very young age when children should be playing, they are taught that to get anywhere in life or to be somebody, one must get a job and work really hard. Most of us can remember a family member or perhaps someone we looked up to and valued their input, telling us those very same words.
It is difficult as adults to continually keep fighting the internal battles in our minds that say, you need to stop and relax while the other side keeps you charging forward into working harder and longer to be successful and pay your bills.
Play is extremely important for humans from birth to death. Play is not meant to be just for children. It is a form of release and enables your body and mind to restore and engage in recovery time.
Play is a state of mind, but it is also a state of body, emotion, and spirit. Yes...it is something you do (playing games, swinging, playing "tag", playing with dolls), but it is also something you watch others do, and gain pleasure from simply watching.
It is often described as a time when we feel most alive, yet it is something we take for granted and may forget to do. It can be entirely positive, or can be dramatic (such as acting out a thrilling or suspenseful activity). Play can be used in many ways to not only stimulate creativity but as a way to transform negative emotions. We are hardwired as adults to engage in play, and it is crucial to our vitality to spend time with play each day.
The wonderful thing about playing is that everyone is successful at it. Don't use playtime to test or stretch your workday. It is a time to feel good about yourself and each other--and to just have fun together. Perhaps, most important of all, play is fun. Years later, when we recall our life, it is the happy times spent playing with special people that we remember most fondly. Stop working so hard. Play some today and everyday.
Marianne St. Clair creates energy. Her creativity and vital messages have thrilled audiences for years. Corporations and organizations nationwide seek her out to motivate and energize their employees on such topics as creativity, communication, passion and fun.
Marianne fuses her knowledge of creativity, wellness and her experience with coaching clients in both the corporate world as well as individuals to create presentations that make a difference. Marianne makes audiences laugh, but she also makes them think. Participants discover for themselves how to apply her messages to become better people and better employees.
Website: http://www.mariannestclair.com
Email:marianne@mariannestclair.com
704-658-0353
"At my back I always hear time's winged chariot hurrying... Read More
"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More
"It's just been one of those days?I can't seem to... Read More
Most of us have a to-do list ? some of... Read More
A working manager needs more than time management.That old saying,... Read More
Benjamin Franklin wrote: "If you want to enjoy one of... Read More
Years ago when I started in this business, it seemed... Read More
I used to think video game addictions were a joke... Read More
As a professional organizer, consultant and trainer, I have come... Read More
How you spend the first sixty minutes of your day... Read More
"Time management" is a myth. Time ticks by, whether you... Read More
Many of you have expressed the challenge of not having... Read More
One of the issues most often raised by my clients... Read More
One question a lot of people ask me recently is:... Read More
?busy, busy, busy, busy, busy?busy, busy, bus? OK, slap me... Read More
How many people do you know who are so busy... Read More
Reflect on the rewards of kicking the procrastination habit. They... Read More
Today, it is hard to open an e-mail newsletter, a... Read More
We all know the harmful effects of overwork. People get... Read More
Recently I saw an advertisement for a time management booklet:... Read More
Choose to be HappyHappiness is a choice. You can choose... Read More
Time, time, time. It seems there is never enough of... Read More
And when you finally sat down to eat breakfast, was... Read More
Do you believe that the best way to deal with... Read More
The techies could do a lot more to make our... Read More
maide service in Buffalo Grove ..What would you say to me if I told you... Read More
Years ago when I started in this business, it seemed... Read More
If you work from home, you know the kind of... Read More
OK...let's assume that you're truly motivated to change. Great. But... Read More
If you operate any kind of home business, you must... Read More
Frustration is when an obstacle blocks your ability to achieve... Read More
Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number... Read More
It's always a challenge finding time to clean my house.... Read More
Does it ever feel like there is never enough time... Read More
Many of us spend long hours at our desk. To... Read More
"Fashionably late" is no longer in fashion. In today's heavily... Read More
Zak is my three-year old godson. He is the apple... Read More
Work more efficiently and be more productive using these time-management... Read More
If you have spent any time at all working at... Read More
As a professional organizer, consultant and trainer, I have come... Read More
Time and money are both very important in business. Yet,... Read More
An appointment is simply a mutual agreement to meet with... Read More
Work life balance is the new Holy Grail; that search... Read More
Do your dishes really need to be dried, or could... Read More
Sounds too good to be true?It really isn't!In fact, studies... Read More
The biggest time management mistake you can ever make is... Read More
We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around... Read More
TIME MANAGEMENTWith the creation of the universe, God gave humankind... Read More
Are you working a "day job" while building your home-based... Read More
I would like to touch upon a subject that it... Read More
Time Management |