The Art of Wasting Time (and why it might be a good thing)

“Focus on mastering the correct technique, not the end results. Once you master the basics, the good results you seek will follow on their own.”

- my own personal maxim (now known as Rule #1)

NOTE: This was originally posted on my Tumblr (agentarmando.tumblr.com)

Sometimes, I find myself in an office getting that huge workload off my desk.  Finally, after so much time and effort placed on work, I can finally breathe.

But wait a minute!  Now that I’m finishing up on work, I all of sudden feel a deep sense of dread coming on.  What am I going to do now?  If I have nothing to do at work, I’m going to be dreadfully bored at work!  Damn, that’s probably worse that being worked to death.  I HATE being stuck in an office having nothing to do.  I can’t leave my post or start doing other things on my “to-do” list for the day.  I’m not going to be able to be productive now!  I can’t take this!  I’m getting stressed just thinking about the multitude of things I need to do, and I can’t even do a damn thing.  I have this “free time” and it’s killing me!  I want to take it easy but I can’t!!!  #@%!*

Has the above ever happened to you during your full-time work?  Yeah, I thought so.

That’s how I USED to react whenever that would happen to me.  It doesn’t help that I like to work hard, and am very good wherever I work (at least that’s what my bosses always tell me).  I’m a very fast and efficient worker, and I probably get workloads done sooner than anyone anticipates.  Heck, that’s probably the reason why I’m still currently working in this particular job despite this being a one-week temp assignment.  Apparently, I’m continuing to work here indefinitely :P  They must like me (my recruiter even told me how much of an excellent job I’m doing in my temp work since the bosses commented on me)!  I’m glad that my hard work ethic pays off.

But in change, this is what leads me to burnout so often.  Once I tackle a task, I hate giving up.  I’d probably rather go down with the ship than to abandon it when sinking.  I just don’t know when to quit.  What’s even worse is that not stopping comes at a really steep physical and mental expense.  I started finding that out not too long ago.  I remember that fateful day when I got laid off from one of my previous employers.  I was 26 at the time, and of course, I was known as the hard worker.  This employer lost Citibank as a client, so I was one of the first to go.  I was only an administrative assistant (read: hired help).  Everyone told me I had amazing job skills and was very productive, yet I was still let go

But never mind that.  The important thing was what happened after the whole fallout after being laid-off.  That same day I got laid off, friends started to tell me I had some patches of hair missing.  I found this very odd and I tried to check but I really couldn’t see it.  Then, I got a haircut and my barber told me the same thing.  This time, I was actually shown the bald patches.  I couldn’t help but give off this crazy laughter because I knew what was happening.  My body was breaking down due to stress.  Before, I could ignore it, but now it was getting very noticeable and I couldn’t ignore it any longer.  I couldn’t even work out anymore because I was too burnt out, and my mind was a total mess.  This is when I decided it was time to make some changes in my life.

After taking so much time to find myself again after losing myself and taking time out to relax, enjoy life and meditate, I learned a few things.  First, stress is mostly mind over matter.  If you don’t mind stress, then it doesn’t matter.  Second, you don’t ALWAYS have to be doing something to be productive.  Third, you shouldn’t have to work for work’s sake.  That’s like shooting yourself because you can take a few hits from a gun.

Allow me to elaborate.  One thing that I’ve realized during my meditation sessions is that your mind makes things real, even when they aren’t.  For example, what’s the difference between working hard and becoming physically exhausted, and having a nice workout where you feel exhausted in the end nevertheless?   Both of them require you to work up to the point of exhaustion, but one has a positive connotation to it while the other has a negative connotation (assuming you like to work out).  So why is one “good” and the other “bad?”  It’s only your mind attaching these “labels” to things, and those “labels” make things real for your mind as well as yourself.  Basically, what I’m saying is that things are what you (and your mind) make of it.

Another thing is the idea of always being productive.  This is a very flawed concept.  It’s not that it’s not possible.  It’s just that the basics of it are flawed (everything you know is wrong).  Being productive isn’t always working up to the point of exhaustion, and having the hours, burnout, and doctor visits to prove it.  It’s about the amount of work done and done CORRECTLY.  How many times in our workplaces have we gotten to know at least one person that’s a regular worker, and always does things bad up to the point where it costs the company or organization money, or you spend countless hours trying to clean up someone else’s mess (in fact, more than what was put in originally)?  I’m sure this is all of you, and to those who say “not me,” give it a few years so you’re not so green in the working world, lol

Employers usually focus on quantity over quality.  It’s not about doing the job right.  It’s about looking “busy” and “productive.”  That’s the real reason why people want to pay you.  You can be the best worker ever, but once you do a job well done and the boss see you with nothing to do, that’s when the boss comes in with a ridiculous request like “untangle the spare computer mice from the rest of the mice in the box” or “count how many toner cartridges we have and sort them by model number.”  I’ve actually had to do both and yes, they’re as dumb as they sound.  There will ALWAYS be something to do, but that’s a fact of life no matter where you go or what you do.  But is something like counting toner cartridges really productive, especially if you still don’t know what printer it’s for?  Or untangling mice just to see them get tangled again with the multitude of other mice in the box?

This goes back to what I was saying before: you shouldn’t have to work for work’s sake.  Apparently, these people have never heard of the “law of diminishing returns” (more on that here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns).  Sometimes, it gets to a point where you can’t be any more productive.  In fact, you usually ruin your productivity by overdoing it.  That’s like filling a glass with water while full, making it spill so you have more water.  It doesn’t work!

Which goes back to my other point: you don’t always have to be doing SOMETHING to be productive.  You don’t keep driving your car after you arrive home just so you can make good use of it.  You just park it and let it sit, and that’s perfectly fine.  Same thing here.  When you don’t have any urgent business, save it for later and relax.  Why are you freaking about having nothing to do?  Who cares if you’re going to finish that report 5 minutes later?  As long as the job gets done before a deadline, it should be fine.  In fact, why torture yourself doing unnecessary things when you can focus on yourself and your needs?  We’re not machines.  We’re thinking, sentient beings.  Without proper “maintenance” and when neglecting our “needs,” we’ll just break down.  When we break down, guess what?  We can’t work!  I’d say not being able to work is a lot worse than not doing the very important task of seeing if all the staplers of the office have enough staples.

This is where I draw wisdom from many places.  First off, I’ll take a page out of the playbook of the Colombians.  One thing that interests me is that in spite of Colombians drinking more coffee than Americans during the day (and even at night), working just as many hours (or longer since jobs there don’t pay as well as here), and being less financially sound in general, they’re generally happier and healthier.  In Colombia, every day is spent with friends and family, and it’s always like a huge party.  It never gets old.  This is a huge contrast from America, where you come home, you’re too tired to go out or do anything with friends and family, and you wind up falling asleep on your couch watching TV.

Another thing that intrigues me is that Colombians drink way too much damn coffee!  I could never drink so much, but Colombians treat it more as a social thing instead of let’s say…here, where people down coffee like water just so they can make it through the day without going crazy.  In Colombia, people have coffee breaks frequently, where they have a small espresso-size (not strength) cup and take the time out to enjoy it.  It’s like tea time in England.  Same idea here.  I remember my ex-girlfriend even drank coffee at midnight, and she somehow still slept better than I would!

For those who don’t know, Colombia is a very poor country, and many of the luxuries we take for granted here in America like hot water and no power outages do not exist in Colombia (not a joke either).  But you look at the people in spite of them sometimes having only the bare necessities, and they seem so happy and proud.  It just makes you want to run away with them.  It’s amazing how here in the United States, you’re dying to make a living here and should you be broke, there’s something wrong with you and Social Services is ready to bust down your door.  Yet in Colombia, being broke is perfectly normal and even tolerated, and no one will think you’re crazy for living in poverty.

So back to my original train of thought.  As you can see, people have lived their lives based on it being okay to not work for work’s sake.  And they’re so much happier and healthier for it.  Without health, you can’t work a job, which in change doesn’t provide money, which in change keeps you from the doctor, etc.  So why do we forsake our very livelihood and fall into that nonsense of being “productive?”  There’s nothing “productive” about ignoring our state of mind because we’re busy from distracting forces (read: work for work’s sake), and meanwhile causes our mental health to fail.  How else can you describe the new disturbing trend where there’s currently twice as many suicides in America than homicides (sources: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/13/cdc-twice-as-many-u-s-suicides-as-homicides/ and http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/09/01/suicide-vs-homicide-by-state-per-100000/)?

For those not living under a rock, I’m sure you know about recessions, wars, and corrupt government oppressing this country and the People of America, and how all this is coming with the changing of the times.  It wasn’t always like this.  Something down the line changed (links of interest regarding the increasing of work hours in the US: http://20somethingfinance.com/american-hours-worked-productivity-vacation/ and http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/trends/08/30/ilo.study/). My point is that it seems like down the road, America lost sight of the underlying fundamental and basics that once made America great.  It definitely wasn’t working to exhaustion just for the hell of it.  It’s working hard and making the most out of your work, but not to the point where you have to neglect your well-being.  I think work has gotten to a point where we can’t even do anything for ourselves anymore, and that’s were all the problems come from.  I can tell you that’s how it all started for me.  I just feel so blessed that I had the opportunity to realize what was happening, and was able to work to actively reshape my future.

Just like with everything, there’s a delicate balance.  The only reason why I’m getting better at working and able to work harder and longer than ever before is because I’ve had time to reflect, meditate, and do some other notable things in the meantime, like travel to Western Europe and Hawaii.  I don’t mind working hard, but for me it has to be something that I believe in and something I think will prove useful.  Money is “useful,” but it can only get you so far.  My point is next time you freak out because you have nothing to do, stop and think about WHY you’re freaking out?  If it’s only because you’re not being “productive,” maybe you should ask what being “productive” is?  If you can’t answer it in your own words, but instead provide a textbook example your bosses have drilled into your head, you’re just letting your automatic thought processes get the best of you.  Instead of worrying yourself to exhaustion, stop, pause and reflect on your mental and physical health.  Take the time to relax.  That in itself will get you far, as you will learn not to burn out your body just for the hell of it (more on how to do that exactly in another post).  Again, if you don’t mind, then it won’t matter.  There’s nothing good or bad about relaxing.  You’re human.  You need it in order to avoid exhaustion.  Just get it done!

Repairing your body and mind isn’t just “lounging around” or “being lazy” or being “unproductive.”  In fact, it’s the opposite because your body NEEDS to heal, and once you fully recover, then you can really turn it on when you need to get work done, leading to better efficiency.  Henceforth, I call it the Art of Wasting Time.  It’s not just parking yourself in front of a TV until you collapse from exhaustion.  It’s about letting yourself “wander” with a purpose.  There’s so many ways to “wander,” whether it be a nice getaway, a late night chat with a good friend, or my weapon of choice: meditation, in order to see what is really going inside your mind.  Eventually, I’m sure you’ll get to the same conclusion that I already have.  There is no such thing as wasting time.  Healing is not “wasting time.”  Taking time off for your health is not “wasting time.”  There’s only using time without any purpose, which is what tends to make us angry and depressed about ourselves as people.  Because deep down, we’re always looking for that one thing without ever giving up on it: purpose.