Do we live in a Task – Orientated World?
A recent study that was brought to attention in the Guardian* recently highlighted that the less productive we are, the lower our wellbeing. My immediate reaction was one of concern – my thoughts were that this would make people think that keeping busy and having endless tasks to do made these actions seem more valid. I was beginning to wonder: do we live in a task-orientated world?
When I read the article in more depth, I realised that the study went on to explain that we have to have a balance (now this is more yogi-friendly language!) between wellbeing and productivity. The Goldilocks hypothesis is a theory that states that too much (or too little) of one thing, is counter-productive. In this article’s case, it was saying that if we have too much free time, which is unstructured or filled with meaningless activities, this can also lower wellbeing in a similar way that having too little time to spend on wellbeing-related activities would.
The less productive we are, the lower our wellbeing.
Does this spell trouble for our free time?
Our lives have always been governed by the human construct of the passing of time. We’ve become conditioned to the finiteness of time and regard it as something to be highly valued and not wasted; offer ends on x date, limited time offers, must end soons and so on. Everything is time-sensitive, and you’re made to feel that if you aren’t ‘maximising’ your time, you’re missing out (some refer to this feeling as FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out).
There is a wider culture of accepting this way of thinking. Companies, such as Amazon may be instrumental in enabling a “have it right now” culture. Broadband speeds mean that if we’re kept waiting for more than one second for a Google Search return, we tut and roll our eyes. When did we become so fast? Do we live in a task-orientated world? And more importantly, what impact is this having on our mental and physical wellbeing?
Related: How to Slow Down
In the last 5 years, the number of deaths due to Alzheimer disease has risen by more than 50% (ONS, 2020). One of the possible explanations offered to this increase is from increased stress of being in a lockdown situation. Many people took the unexpected time off as a hidden blessing – escaping from the monotony of the office commute or having time to do a yoga class in between online meetings with clients. With no shops to tempt us, this took many of us into the natural world, increasing our amount of time we spent walking, running and exercising.
“When the world is moving too fast, and you lose yourself in the chaos, introduce yourself to colours of the sunset, reacquaint yourself with the Earth benearth your feet. Thank the air that surrounds you with each breath you take. Find yourself in the appreciation of life”.
– Christy Ann Martine
Fast forward to the third UK lockdown, and it’s a very different picture. “Zoom fatigue” is a common term. Pathways in the local nature reserve are well-worn. People are tense, anxious, isolated. All we can do is work – no shops means no distractions! We somehow forgot about pastures greener and instead had adapted our working lives to our new way of living – we were working longer, as we didn’t have a commute to break up the day, so there was nothing to stop some of us from working into the night.
Too much of one thing – the Goldilocks hypothesis. Are we even capable of self-regulation anymore, when the ease and ability to work 24/7 is always there. Does it feel like an expectation from bosses, from society in general, to be always “on”, always available on our phones, emails, morning, noon, nights, weekends? Or have we simply walked into this situation with our own two feet?
“When the world is moving too fast, and you lose yourself in the chaos,
Introduce yourself to the colours of the sunset”
– Christy Ann Martine
And so we come back to the initial question – do we living in a task-orientated world? Do we need to have goals and tasks to feel valid, productive and to have purpose? This recent study seems to think so. However, before you start creating a to-do list of your social activities, the study also found that “although an abundance of discretionary time spent on solo and non-productive activities did produce a negative effect on subjective wellbeing, discretionary time spent on activities that were social or productive did not”. So it appears that some activities are “more equal” than others, to quote Orwell.
Related: Yoga Practice for anxiety
Do we live in a task-orientated world?
Do we need to have goald and tasks to feel valid, productive and to have purpose?
Related: Learn more about Yoga Nidra here
The lesson here is one of a balance of our time; by creating more not less space, in a busy working life, we can cultivate inner contentment and peace through social and productive activities, such as learning a new skill or a hobby. But equally not having endless amounts of free time that we spend doing very little. This in turn could enhance other areas of our lives – I have had students say they have never slept more soundly after one of my yoga classes. Taking up a hobby which involves socialising with others can help us to regain some of the connections we lost with each other during lockdown, too.
By creating more not less space in a busy working life, we can cultivate inner contentment and peace.
If the world is moving too fast, slow it down…
Want to create more space in your life, but use it more effectively?
Here are 6 productive ideas and ways you could spend your free time:
1. Attend a workshop or a lecture on something that interests you
2. Take up a new hobby – join a sewing circle, try yoga or a new sports activity
3. Joining a gym can work for some people – meet new people and get healthy, too!
4. Look out for local community gatherings, such as social therapy groups
5. Volunteer at your nearest charity shop, wildlife trust centre, or even Girl-guiding!
6. Reach out to a friend and have a coffee and a chat!
And finally – log out of your work emails, put the phone on do not disturb and schedule in a couple of hours of down time every day – it’s really important! (And no, binge-watching friends on Netflix doesn’t count!)
This article was based on a recent study illustrated in the Guardian. You can read the original Guardian article here.
Learn more…
See the Frananda Yoga Class Schedule and book your next Yoga Class – what better way to spend an hour of your free time on a class that will not only beefit you physically, but mentally and emotionally, too.
Frananda Yoga helped me by teaching me to calm my mind and take some me time. It helped me to learn to slow down and enjoy the peace and calm that yoga brings, too.
Yoga with Fran is about the only time I do [slow down] so I look forward to it … it allowed me to have some ‘me time’, slowing down my fast-paced lifestyle.
I recommend Frananda Yoga to people who need to reduce their stress and take some time for themselves. In this busy world, everyone could do with some ‘me time ‘and Frananda Yoga really helps!
