Sunday – The Sabbath Day!

On this blog, I keep harping about productivity, efficiency, optimization, et al. But today, I will go over to the other end and say:

 "Spend an entire day away from your machine!"

 Before getting down to the actual concept, here's some personal background.

As an unashamed workaholic (and a bachelor until last year), I was totally hooked up to my machine (a laptop) for 12 to 15 hours a day… often more, but never less. I used the machine to do office work, to read e-books, to listen to music, to watch movies, to play games, to surf the net, and so on. It was great fun.

However, after a couple of years of doing this, I began to feel pangs of a strange dissatisfaction. Life seemed dull and monochromatic.

One fine day, HP, a friend of mine, suggested a solution: Stay away from your laptop for a day. Just don’t touch it.

Fine, I said... I won't work on Sunday, but surely I can use the laptop to watch a movie or to read an e-book?

No, said HP... Total ban on the machine for an entire day (and night).

I was aghast. What was I supposed to do then?

The first time I tried this, I ended up getting frustrated and booting up the machine within a couple of hours.

So, the next Sunday, I left the laptop in my office locker.

With no access to it, mind slowly began to work out the alternatives. I went out and bought a couple of newspapers. Next, I called up a few friends. Even had a long lazy bath followed by a nap in the afternoon!

Over the next few weeks, I had not just adjusted myself to this new routine, but began to actually enjoy it!

So, what is this all about?

The idea is pretty simple: Let go of your machine for a day, and relax, chill out. Spend time with your family, friends, and relatives. Spend time on your hobbies and interests. Do everything and anything that is not related to your profession.

Some points to be considered:

• Note that I refer to machine. As a software professional, my machine is my laptop. Your "machine" or "tool" will differ as per your profession.
• I have chosen Sunday to implement idea; you can choose any day as per your convenience.
• When I say don't work on your off-day, you should exercise your own judgement. For example, during a software release phase, it is common for the project team to be occasionally slogging over a weekend in the office to meet the delivery deadlines. In this case, you can compensate yourself later  by taking an extra day off.
• Care should be taken that the relaxed mood of the off-day doesn't spill over to the next day. If you have been reading a book, force yourself to keep it down. Partying till late night on a Sunday night is no excuse to walk in late into office on Monday.

How does it help?

Taking a day off keeps you relaxed through the next week. You can take care of backlog activities to be done at home.
Your family will be most delighted and comforted with the assurance that you will really be taking them out to a dinner. Your friends and relatives will know for sure that they can always meet you or visit you on a Sunday.

But what about the productivity stuff?
Believe it, this idea actually makes you more productive throughout the week. If you’re a movie buff, the knowledge that you will only be watching the latest flick on Sunday takes the thought off your mind and helps you focus on the work in hand.

Also, taking an entire day off makes you look forward to getting back to office on Monday and hitting the work. At least, this happens to me!