Confessions of a Creative

Confessions

I confess. I lead a busy life. Looking in, you might say that I am a work alcoholic. I have many projects on the go, and I have a lot of energy for the things that are meaningful. Every once and awhile, however, I ask myself – “What is the psychological energy that is underneath the busyness? Is there something that I need to be mindful of?”

In terms of my business life, self-awareness is a continual practice. I try to make this distinction. I can honestly say that I don’t work to avoid or to escape something. I don’t feel that I compulsively work because there is nothing else to do. I would happily be on the golf course or walking Mina or taking photographs. I have a big vision of what I want my life to look like and how I want to serve.

However, after reading Hustle and Float, a new awareness surfaced. It seems that I have unconsciously bought into the Zeit Geist in terms of work attitudes and beliefs. How I choose to work and run my business has been unconscious. The book highlighted that I must be constantly vigilant in my awareness to ensure that I make healthy choices.

Creativity Productive or Productively Creative

Rahaf Harfoush’s book Hustle and Float explores historically and philosophically the origin of our outdated belief systems and dangerous behaviors connected to how we work. These are the challenges of our times.

The nature of work has changed. The movement from a predominantly manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based economy has changed work’s fLog Outundamental nature. Once, the ability to be efficient producing products was revered. Now, creativity, cognitive ability, and the ability to problem-solve are valued and necessary for the new economy.

Harfoush’s theory is that while the nature of work has changed, we have not changed the behaviors or beliefs about work. We work in the ways that we have always worked valuing above all else efficiency and productivity. These are the ways of working that we inherited from the industrial revolution and manufacturing. The problem is that these ways of work are misaligned with the knowledge economy and they are causing burnout for many people. Workers are feeling more stressed and as undervalued as ever before. Harfoush writes “overwork has become the hallmark of leadership behavior” . . . and “the lack of sleep and personal time are worn like a badge of honor”

The technological revolution has drastically changed the nature of work and it will continue to transform the world with the advent of AI. Our technologies have turned our work world into a 24/7 affair. At their worst, our technologies drive dopamine hits that create addictions, and adversely affecting our quality of life. The stress related to our choices is affecting our health. Stress is the leading cause of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety.

Mary Blair-Loy coined the phenomenon as “work devotion” which has turned into a competition among employees and ingrained into our cultural norms and values. People do not want to be less committed or not productive. It is experienced as subtle disapproval and the only way to get ahead. This value system has become a moral value that speaks to the quality of someone character and experienced as a lot of fear.

Subtly the transformation of work has also created pressure to do more and to accomplish more. The statistic from numerous studies reflect the impact of our attitude to work

In 2006, a study from the Families and Work Institute reported that 1/3 of American workers were chronically overworked.

In 2014, it was reported that the average worker takes only half of their entitled paid vacation.

In 2016, it was estimated by the Center for Disease Control, the sleep deprivation cost $411 billion in lost productivity.

The impact of our health and well-being is potentially disastrous.

How do we manage our energy and live a balanced life

Harfoush adopts the image of white water rafting to help us navigated a healthy attitude toward work – Hustle and Float. This is how she describes it this way:

“ These heart-pounding bursts of strenuous activity are punctuated by periods of rest, when the water becomes calm enough that riders can float and enjoy the scenery. As any experienced river guide will tell you, the ideal trip is comprised of both hustle and floating—a balance between focused exertion and intentional recovery. Too much hustle leads to exhaustion that can jeopardize the split- second decision-making that’s needed to avoid injury. Too much float will result in a boring and aimless ride, devoid of challenge or purpose.

We need time for recovery. It is up to us and the choices that we make to consciously improve our well-being.   Ultimately, we need to rethink our approach to our lives. This means doing the inner work to discover the unconscious attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors about work that might contribute to burnout. We need to take ourselves off of automatic pilot and pay attention to our thoughts, our energy, and emotions. We need to challenge all of the assumptions about what is a reasonable and healthy workday. We must discover what works best for our bodies and soul. It can be messy and full of insecurity.

Most importantly, we need to disconnect from the outside work that is constantly bombarding us with information and connect inwardly. This is one sure way of improving work and our lives. Finding idle time helps our systems make sense and integrate what we have experienced and learned. Scientific research consistently shows that the one way to improve your productivity is to get enough sleep. The other things are to rest when we are tired and be mindful of managing our energy before we feel depleted.

Christina Becker
September 2019

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