“Downtime” has almost become a dirty word at work these days.

From the moment we arrive at our workplace to the time we eventually leave we are under pressure to be busy, to perform and to impress at all costs. This appears to be symptomatic of a perception  that if we are not busy in business then we are not being good workers.

Remember the days of the good old “smoko break” (such labelling is probably no longer very pc!)? Those were the days when workers took 10 minutes in the morning and afternoon to take a break and have a cuppa together.

While at law these breaks have been entrenched in legislation the stigma attached to not appearing busy means that there is a general perception that you are a “slacker” if you observe those breaks! So most white collar workers choose to have a cuppa at their desks while they continue to work.

Even the word “busi-ness” carries with it the implied notion that it is all about being busy!

Consequently, we can feel that we are “not good enough workers” when we are not constantly flat out, overwhelmed and stressed!

The pressure to be doing something has been exacerbated by new technologies such as computers, the internet, mobile phones and the like. All this technology while it is true can and does make doing business easier it also has a negative effect – that of ensuring that we don’t get time to be still and rest and contemplate.

Consequently, downtime has become less of a priority in our lives not only at work but also at home. At home rest seems to equate to being bored and we quickly search out ways to be entertained and to escape from those more challenging aspects of our lives.

Downtime is an essential to healthy living. Imagine what would happen if we went without sleep for long periods of time. Sleep and rest at night are essential to allowing the body and mind to recover spent energy and to heal.

Downtime during the day is equally important to not only reducing stress but also to facilitating creative insights. Yet if you were to ask most people how often they took a break during the day to be still and rest you would most probably find that 99% of workers don’t and that worse still many continue to work over lunch and late into the night!

They do this in the belief that they are being productive and that their 100% commitment to working flat out all day and night in some cases is what is required to make them indespensible and successful.

Sorry to break the news then – that belief is a “load of bollocks”. It is however a perception which employers tacitly support and why wouldn’t they?

Lets break it down into simplistic terms – no-one is indespensible and success does not come from workaholism!

A secure and successful person is someone who lives a balanced life and who has enough self-respect to ensure that downtime is an important part of their lives.