Sharpening the human mind
The 7th habit
2 woodcutters went for their grind, one chose to head west and the other east. The one who went west was a very hardworking person & wanted to do his best for his family, therefore he toiled hard all the way without break as he felt he was strong enough. However, as he went on, the task became harder & less efficient.
The other was equally hard working, but he took a break at mid morning, and during the break, he not just replenished his energy, but also took time to sharpen his axe. By lunch time, he managed to complete double of the other guy.
How did this happen?
I know this was a feature I wrote not too long ago, but I am bringing it up again is that this became a hot topic during my 14 day sojourn from work. Quite many people I know have he tendency to work & work & work, and I am not talking about those with a job, but those who are moving jobs, and they start with urgency. Almost all of them are lamenting that they should have taken a break & started the job later.
In fact, some of them felt at a stage of burnout and lost their passion & drive to work. The same went for my friends who have worked non-stop, being those who have not ‘reimbursed’ their annual leaves for some time (they have accrued up to 30 to 40 days) and that’s crazy.
The analogy above is as powerful as it’s simplicity; and the human body can only do better with a rest, and even machines need it’s day off for maintenance. Covey has even analyzed that the greatest leaders take time to sharpen their axes, and we as fellow humans, are not exceptions to that ingredient for success.
The mind needs to take a break from one thing, which is why doctors & scientists have always advocated for a mix of work & play, hence, all work & no play makes Jay a dull boy. Even more, the mind is not just a machine that keeps on raking in information, as a computer can easily cover this function. It’s even more than that, it encompasses a capacity to not just digest information, but summing it from a holistic view and binding the smaller pieces into an amalgam of ideas, practices and values.
But to do that, we need to give it time & space, and the only way is to take breaks. Detach ourselves from work from time to time.
This is the art that successful managers & leaders perfect.
2 woodcutters went for their grind, one chose to head west and the other east. The one who went west was a very hardworking person & wanted to do his best for his family, therefore he toiled hard all the way without break as he felt he was strong enough. However, as he went on, the task became harder & less efficient.
The other was equally hard working, but he took a break at mid morning, and during the break, he not just replenished his energy, but also took time to sharpen his axe. By lunch time, he managed to complete double of the other guy.
How did this happen?
I know this was a feature I wrote not too long ago, but I am bringing it up again is that this became a hot topic during my 14 day sojourn from work. Quite many people I know have he tendency to work & work & work, and I am not talking about those with a job, but those who are moving jobs, and they start with urgency. Almost all of them are lamenting that they should have taken a break & started the job later.
In fact, some of them felt at a stage of burnout and lost their passion & drive to work. The same went for my friends who have worked non-stop, being those who have not ‘reimbursed’ their annual leaves for some time (they have accrued up to 30 to 40 days) and that’s crazy.
The analogy above is as powerful as it’s simplicity; and the human body can only do better with a rest, and even machines need it’s day off for maintenance. Covey has even analyzed that the greatest leaders take time to sharpen their axes, and we as fellow humans, are not exceptions to that ingredient for success.
The mind needs to take a break from one thing, which is why doctors & scientists have always advocated for a mix of work & play, hence, all work & no play makes Jay a dull boy. Even more, the mind is not just a machine that keeps on raking in information, as a computer can easily cover this function. It’s even more than that, it encompasses a capacity to not just digest information, but summing it from a holistic view and binding the smaller pieces into an amalgam of ideas, practices and values.
But to do that, we need to give it time & space, and the only way is to take breaks. Detach ourselves from work from time to time.
This is the art that successful managers & leaders perfect.
posted by Jay @ 21.12.05
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