It’s easy to get sucked into the whole grind and turn into a workaholic. At times, it reaches a point where social life and “me time” are thrown into the basement. While it’s not bad to be hardworking and keep the eye on the prize, overworking oneself takes a toll on physical and mental health. Remember the iconic line from the shining? It’s true. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.
How does one balance work and play? With the presence of hustle culture, how can one snap out of a workaholic nightmare? This is the pride of business process outsourcing (BPO) providers as they reshaped the work culture by integrating video game rooms, special interest groups, gyms, and other activities to relieve burn out from employees.
Hustle culture
Hustle culture promotes work, work, work, and more work. The idea is that the more a person works, the closer they are to success-more opportunities for promotions and more money. It compels people to be on their feet all day, to spread themselves too thin, and take on more than they could manage.
Because this is socially acceptable, people pride themselves in being workaholics. Psychology Today calls this “toil glamour,” which refers to the correlation of an overworked employee being a star employee. 45% of the workforce carry their lack of breaks, leisure, and overall neglect of their health as a badge and even display it on a shelf like a trophy.
Work-and-play culture
Similar to the work-life balance, the work-and-play culture promotes taking time off work to enjoy other activities that can relieve stress. Play, in this sense, is not a distraction. The main reason companies try to adopt this culture is to improve employee productivity.
Allowing employees to play and take breaks during work hours reduces stress because having fun through games or creative activities releases endorphins to the brain. Through activities that stimulate the brain, a person can get into the “flow” where they are focused on a task, and this can translate into their actual work. Playing is not an individual endeavor, too, so employees have a chance to talk and bond with each other to increase morale and lessen awkwardness in the workplace.
Learn how to pause on work
There are several things on the line when someone works too much: relationships, social life, eating complete meals, exercise, sleep, etc. This is why learning how to stop and relax a little bit is essential. Here are a couple of tips on how to have a work-and-play balance in life:
Structure is crucial. There should be time management or a routine to know when one needs to work and when one needs to play. This way, one can focus on the task at hand, and when that’s done, they can completely forget about work until the next day.
Others find partying all night fun while others enjoy the simple pleasures of a book. Try to dig deep into interests and hobbies, or maybe hang out with friends. It’s different for everyone.
As always, balance is essential. In this case, it’s productivity, money, and health on the line. Therefore, it’s crucial to find what works for you, so you can incorporate it into your life.
