Downtime is time during which production is stopped especially during set-up for an operation or when making repairs.
– Merriam Webster dictionary
Downtime is more generally used in case of machines but then can equally be applied to humans as well. It’s been a long time(more than a year) since I have written something here as I have been busy with my job and other mundane stuff. One thing that I have realized during this time is that sometimes no matter how focused you are on the work at hand it refuses to get done. But the solution to getting done magically reappears once you have done some non-work stuff or gone for a stroll or taken a break or a nap.
Life is not always about meeting deadlines, satisfied clients and huge pay-checks; it is also about looking at the sunrises and sunsets, looking at spring flowers, enjoying the rain, sharing a laugh with a stranger etc. A break once a while is not a luxury it is a necessity to be more productive at work. It does not matter if you love your job, you still do need a break. You may have the best of colleagues at work but that does not mean you will have no social life outside of work. Sometimes doing nothing is actually more valuable than banging your head worrying about the future.
It recently took a chat with a friend that I have not met for a couple of years to realize that I can afford to slow down a little. That I enjoy sunsets by the river more than I enjoy creating an application for a client. That work will always be there but that does not mean life should be abandoned. That being more productive can be done by doing nothing sometimes. That downtime is occasionally required for smooth functioning of life.
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