On Leisure and Peak Performances

On Sunday, I alternated between watching the tennis match between Andy Murray and Juan Del Potro, an epic three set contest which Murray easily ran away with in the third, and the World Track and Field Championships. I was slightly more captivated by the latter, however – particularly given the hype about the matchup between Usain Bolt, the Olympic champion, and Tyson Gay, who unfortunately missed the Olympics with an injury. Tyson Gay, a consummate gentleman by the way, was clearly the underdog, but there was some hope that if he had a good day and Bolt had a bad day, he may come away with a surprising victory. And Gay did turn in his best performance ever, simultaneously setting a record for a US athlete, but Bolt left no doubt who was the fastest man alive. In a race that left many in awe – and more than validated the cheeky references of “champion” and “lightning” his adoring fans have bestowed on him – Bolt bolted out of the gates, and yes, had time to look back at the competition he left in the dust, indicating, perhaps, that his true speed has yet to be officially tabulated.

I have wondered many times about the suggestion: work hard, play hard. And, given the still-lingering excitement over Bolt’s performance, this was the thought that, at least initially, came to mind – harmony between physical exertion and playful ease - upon hearing of the health benefit of taking frequent vacations on NPR this morning. The story said, basically, that individuals who took advantage of more vacation time and breaks during work experienced corresponding higher rates of happiness and life expectancy. Clearly vacation is vital to our overall wellbeing, both at work and outside of work. Being a dedicated person in a work environment is an admirable trait, and goofing off should obviously be discouraged, but dedication without adequate breaks (either through the company or outside of it) and without purpose (which is, perhaps, a topic for another discussion) can possibly result in diminishing returns if taken to extremes. However, for me, the question is: how can one make work feel less like work and more like play (although, not necessarily leisure!)? I believe this can be achieved if there is, first, at least some breaks during the day and, second, if a person truly enjoys and loves what he or she is doing and feels, further, that his or her efforts is making a difference, either within the organization or in the community at large.

Note: this article, on how stress "changes the brain" and "relaxation can take it back," appeared in the Science section of The New York Times, August 18, 2009 edition. It was posted to the Times site after I wrote this blog, but touches on some of the points I tried to make here. It is worth a read.