Holiday homework isn’t something only children have to endure. In a world far removed from school and homework, technology has helped us stay connected and delivers content and information to us at an instant. It has also crippled us.
Both my nephews are saddled with holiday homework. I remember the facing the same scourge back in school when most of the holiday homework got done a few days before school reopened. There would be a frenzy to complete the home work and most if it would be a blur. If there was any point in it, I didn’t see it. Still don’t.
As we grew older and board exams entered the fray, holidays became an excuse to go for tuitions and extra classes that promised us the marks that we were seeking.
Holidays are like off-season. The whole idea of a holiday is to relax, recuperate and reflect on the time that has gone by and feel energized to get back into the regular routine.
Holiday homework isn’t something only children have to endure. In a world far removed from school and homework, technology has helped us stay connected and delivers content and information to us at an instant. It has also crippled us. Receiving official mails at all hours of the day and being looked down upon for not replying, being expected to be on call even during weekends and holidays, all of these are man made emergencies that haven’t really proven to increase productivity or profits. Unless you’re a head of state or a doctor on call, always being ‘on’ isn’t healthy or beneficial. It corrodes our ability to have good relationships, cultivate new hobbies and reflect on how we can improve.
Mugaritz is one of the world’s most famous restaurants and is headed by celebrated chef Andoni Luis Aduriz. In 2010, the restaurant was gutted by a fire and it took a few months for it to get back on its feet. Ever since the accident, the restaurant instituted a practice of remaining closed for 4 months a year, every year, giving its staff a complete break that allows them to come back refreshed and more creative.
Think of it:
A restaurant that is among the top 10 restaurants in the world is closed for 4 months every year.
In a world where hustle, made up competition, and ‘struggle porn’, popularized by the likes of Gary Vaynerchuck and his cohorts are sending people into a tailspin causing them to falsely believe that the more you mindlessly grind, the greater the odds of success, the common sense approach of true rest and recreation is getting drowned.
To get a head start and get ahead, stepping back fully maybe a better solution.
