Ah the siesta. When you think about the siesta it may bring to mind conjectures of the old Spanish way of life. Matadores gracefully bowing as roses rain down upon them, victorious over the raging bull that now lay defeated in the sand; a Mediterranean beachscape where you lay basking in the amber and violet rays of the setting sun as you enjoy the fruity accents of a cold sangria; or the buttery smell of freshly baked artisanal bread teasing your sense of smell as you stroll down a busy Barcelona avenue. Because of the hustle and bustle of the modern American way of life, the siesta is a concept that seems as far away as Spain itself. It is a notion that most Americans would find difficult to believe is still being practiced today. But, surprise, it is alive and well. The siesta, in one form or another, is a necessary part of the daily routine of a large number of the world population and we are missing out on the many benefits that it offers to our health and productivity as a country.
The siesta, as it is known today, is a rest period in the middle of the day where one takes a break, enjoys lunch, and has a nap before returning to work, generally lasting around 2 hours. It was made popular in Spain where the population would take that time to escape the hottest parts of the day and recharge for the evening to come. But it has roots much deeper than that, reaching back to the beginnings of Islam where an afternoon nap was law because of the health benefits. Even the Romans had an afternoon rest with a nap and, though it wasn't a law, it certainly was commonplace and not considered a luxury.
And even though siesta is a Spanish word, it is a practice enjoyed by the peoples of a variety of countries. It is most widely practiced in the Mediterranean world, countries close to Spain that share similar culture and climate, but when the Spanish settlers came west, they brought more than just Christianity and the plague. Lots of our Latin American counterparts practice the siesta, our border mate Mexico among them. A form of the siesta is practiced in cultures from Serbian to Taiwanese, countries from Slovenia to China. That's right. Even that tireless workhorse of a country China takes a siesta. In Japan many companies even have nap rooms! And it's no wonder why.
Studies and experiments have shown for a century that more hours working does not necessarily mean more production. And that taking breaks in your day to reset your brain actually increases productivity. John Trougakos, Assistant Management Professor at The University of Toronto Scarborough and The Rotman School of Management stated that "mental concentration is similar to a muscle. It becomes fatigued after sustained use and needs a rest period before it can recover". So sitting at your desk and staring at that spreadsheet longer isn't going to get that expense report finished any faster. Your best bet is to take a break from it and come back to it later.
The same is true for putting in longer hours. It has been demonstrated as far back as the beginning of the 20th century by the great Henry Ford. Mr. Ford conducted experiments in his factories that would give him the most production for the least amount of hours. Originally his workers worked 60 hour weeks in the form of six, ten hour work days per week. After tweaking it a bit he settled on a forty hour week, drawing the following conclusion: "Now we know from our experience in changing from six to five days and back again that we can get at least as great production in five days as we can in six... Just as the eight hour day opened our way to prosperity, so the five day week will open our way still to greater prosperity". There is only so much time a person can spend on one task before the quality and speed of the work start to decline.
So why do we think the opposite and work ourselves to death when it has been proven to be pointless? It certainly isn't because it makes our lives better. American divorce rates are up to 50%, American satisfaction with our jobs is only 45% (lowest rate ever recorded), and obesity in children and adults is at an all-time high. Our kids are slated to be the first generation that isn't expected to outlive the previous one. Does that seem like a good reward for working hard to you?
Americans work so much that, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, we are the only advanced nation to have no federally mandated paid vacation days. The only one. Most European countries get on average 25-28 paid vacation days per year. Australians enjoy 20. Mexican law ensures that they enjoy 16, and China (here they are again) get 10! We work more than the Chinese. How does that sit with you? We work so much that we have even managed to outwork ourselves.
Juliet Schor, author of the book "The Overworked American", concluded way back in 1990, that Americans worked an average of nearly one month more per year than in 1970. And that was in 1990. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows a rising trend in number of hours worked per week that has only recently tapered off.
So what is all of this break skipping and vacation surrendering getting us besides bigger t-shirts? More money? And why do we think we need more money? We certainly aren't using it for vacation. As a matter of fact, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index which surveys 1,000 people per day, more money does not mean more happiness. Infact, their research shows that a yearly household income of $75,000 is just the right amount of money needed to be happy. Households earning less than 75k reported lower levels of emotional well-being and those with more showed no significant increase. So sorry Puffy, it isn't really all about the benjamins.
So here we are spending all of our time working for better lives when it has been clearly demonstrated that we are going about it all wrong. Research shows that taking breaks in your day increases productivity during working hours period. The key to success is knowing to say when is enough. Taking that two hour siesta gives you time to do a lot of things that could improve your life, and in turn improve the quality of your work. Two hours would buy most of us enough time to eat a proper lunch, possibly go to the gym or take a walk outside, take a nap, or even spend the whole break socializing with friends. All of these are stress busting activities that can recharge our batteries for the work left in the afternoon. We consider ourselves the greatest nation in the world but we could learn a few things from the other kids in our neighborhood. So tomorrow, when the lunch whistle blows, find a comfy couch and settle in. Your siesta is about to begin.
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