17/09/2021
The pandemic has given us many challenges and long-term opportunities. But have we looked deeper enough to see how TIME changed for all of us and how cruel it became?
It’s tempting to work beyond work hours, just because there isn’t any separation and boundaries between work and home environments. It’s no wonder many of us are putting in longer hours.
When people did manage to gain free time, it often wasn’t spent wisely: Recent research found that activities we call “passive leisure” - such as watching TV - grew drastically, while “active leisure” activities such as socializing became less frequent. While a bit of passive leisure is a healthy way to relax, some studies show that it’s much less likely than the active leisure to promote happiness.
It’s a fact that the pandemic has made many active leisure activities challenging. But we’ve seen plenty of creative ways to follow the active leisure while following social distancing guidelines, such as Zoom game nights and happy hours and creative socially distant sports.
During a time of global crisis, it’s healthy to prioritize relaxation, and it’s “normal” that we might struggle to be as productivity at work as we used to be. But as we return to "semi-normal", what can we do to ensure that we use our time savings to go after meaningful activities that make us truly happy?
For many of us, commuting was when we would get into “work mode.” But that transition doesn’t have to come from a physical commute. Research shows that the most-desired commute length is 16 minutes, so when you’re working from your comfortable home, take that time to find another way to transition into work mode.
According to recent research, the happiest commuters are those who use their commutes to plan their workdays. So, try starting your remote workday by taking 15 minutes to plan your day, either at home or with a short morning walk. In fact, walking is a form of active leisure that’s known to reduce stress, so it’s good idea to find ways to deliberately build some walking back into your day.
Let your team know how you’re taking care of yourself. If you step away from your computer each afternoon for a walk, to do yoga, or plan to take a day off to unplug and recharge, sharing your plans, will normalize these critical breaks and open up the conversation for your colleagues and direct reports to share what they’re doing to prioritize their well-being.
What channels are you using to organize your day and SAVE TIME?