When the solution is pulling out the plug

Do you know what I need right now? A "time-turner."

Just like Hermione, I am desperately trying to stretch the hours of the day to finish everything on time, in view of holidays! Because a vacation is right here, just around the corner.

The word vacation comes from Latin "vacantia" which means "being free".  So I wonder: what makes us feel like prisoners? What are we searching for in a vacation?

One image comes to my mind: the desert. Last year, I was in Egypt. In fact, I have been to Egypt 8 times, but this is just a detail. As I was saying, last year I visited this nation, with its sand, dunes, camels, fragrant oils, keffiyehs, and quads. I felt free, free to look, smell, taste, listen; but most importantly, I felt free from my phone!

The reason is that connectivity in Egypt is like a mirage in the desert: rare and elusive.

Let us admit it: we are all under the spell of messages. Our brains work as a constantly connected computer, always updated with emails, messages, and even viral TikTok videos. This condition of "peeping on" people and things continously can negatively affect daily life, causing stress, anxiety, and relationship problems. In one word: NOMOPHOBIA. 

Studies on "NO MObile PHOne phoBIA," (fear of being disconnected without one’s phone) show that 2 out of 5 Italians are affected, with a higher incidence among workers and big cities inhabitants. Moreover, the American company Dscount's estimates that we touch our smartphone screens about 2,617 times a day, for an average use of 5 hours a day (150 hours a month, 1,800 hours a year).

I would say that switching from mummies to smombies takes less than one sencond😉

Therefore, instead of being anxious for missing connections during my trip to Egypt, I felt it tot be a precious opportunity to rediscover the true plesure of idleness. I refer to Seneca’s idleness. Holidays have become an active and productive time-period dedicated to a search for knowledge and personal growth.

It is in idleness instead that helps us understand how to solve team communication problems, or, while talking to a local guide, we get an idea on how to solve a situation. It has often happened to me that a coffee break, a lunch break, a walk to public transportation, or a small talk allowed me to find the solution. Only then did I see things from a different perspective.

As Byung-Chul Han explains in his book "The Burnout Society", we now demand of ourselves to be up to date at all times, smiling, aligned, perfect, active, active and productive both at work and in our private life. However, this attitude may lead to mental and physical exhaustion, known as the "inability to disconnect syndrome". 

This constant pressure might affect mental health and, consequently, productivity. An article in the Wall Street Journal has shown that to perform at our best at work, our brain needs regular breaks to recover energy and creativity. This translates into a greater ability to solve problems innovatively and face challenges from a clearer perspective.

In other words, the best way to work is on vacation…  ha!Ha!Ha… just kidding, but…

Let me give you some examples.

The consulting firm Ernst & Young decided to increase vacation time for employees by 10 hours. What was the result? Their performance ratings increased by 8%.

This approach obviously applies not only to workers but also to students. According to the Harvard Business Review, students who take vacations are almost twice as likely to be successful compared to their school friends who are non-stop studiers.

In short, after this analysis, it seems appropriate to say good-bye by wishing you relaxation, idleness, dreaming, slowing down, and resting, because as Ovid said, a field that has rested gives a better harvest.

May it be a peaceful and regenerating summer. I hope we agree now: the best ideas often come to our mind while resting under the big umbrella that protects us from the sun!

See you in September,

Chiara Pontoni

Susatinability Manager

Gesteco