In the past few months, what have you been experimenting with and learning from it, Director, Transformation and Change at Knowit, Niina Sauvolainen?
I have always done my work with great intensity, not sparing my energy and enthusiasm. And oftentimes, it has meant non-interrupted working during the day, minus quick lunch and coffee breaks.
During the past months I have deliberately taken pauses and idle time during the day, to be more balanced and productive throughout the day. Being used to absorb to work non-stop for 8+ hours, in the beginning, I had to mentally fight the deep-rooted grip of Taylorism, that my productivity is tied to the time spent at the computer typing away or in the meetings.
Gradually, I have experienced the luxury of allowing my day to have creative pauses. It may be a small forest walk in the middle of the day with the puppy or taking some time to cook lunch during the day. And what a difference does it make! Thoughts flow freely, creativity and joy at work is more often a companion than stress and headache.
What have I learned?
The tough part has been to give oneself permission to put weight on your own wellbeing during the workday, not just with my leisure time. Creative pauses have let me be more aligned and balanced during the workday. Especially during the pandemic and remote work there has not been any natural breaks to chat with coworkers over a cup of coffee.
Nowadays I can tell a clear difference in my energy levels if I have had the luxury of having creative pauses during the day or not. I’ve learned to value the idle moments, trusting that they contribute often even more to my work than those hectic hours spent over the computer keyboard and powerpoint.
So practically I’ve exercised the most important employee skill, there is: know thyself. I have gradually learned to listen to myself, also during workdays.
Thank you Niina!
Small experiments and inspiration 