Long Summer Holidays
Long summer holidays can bore one to death if unplanned. I don’t often opt for a long vacation in summer, but when I’m not teaching I’m usually busy with something else: working on a publication, preparing new material for the following year, etc. I might get to travel a little but cannot rest for long without the sense that time is being wasted. Do I consider myself a workaholic? The Merriam-Webster definition of a workaholic is simply “a compulsive worker”, so I assume I’m probably a borderline case though this self-assessment is rather subjective! Luckily, workaholism is not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), so one may safely assume that it is not an illness though the “compulsion” part does have a ring of OCD to it (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)!
Besides, there’s a difference between merely working/ being busy and being productive. It’s good to find tangible ways of measuring one’s own productivity, for the sake of self-fulfillment. One’s self-esteem must not depend on what others think, however, but rather on one’s conviction that one has done one’s best. The quality of one’s work and efforts should matter the most. One must never be proud of high quantity poor quality work output no matter what pressures one is under.
In the end, it remains true that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Vacation time is important for refreshing oneself and zesting up one’s spirit. One can be more physically active in the holidays than when one is glued to one’s desk or in front of a computer all the time. Without vacations we would all be duller, and probably fatter and much less healthy as well; and vacation time needn’t be all play: it can be partly productive. Just consider this blog, for example. It wouldn’t have started if it weren’t for the summer holiday that triggered it. Instead of silently ruminating about one’s work, one can blog about it, reflecting and sharing one’s experiences for the benefit of others.
Posted by May Mikati on 18 July 2011, 11:18 AM
Long summer holidays can bore one to death if unplanned. I don’t often opt for a long vacation in summer, but when I’m not teaching I’m usually busy with something else: working on a publication, preparing new material for the following year, etc. I might get to travel a little but cannot rest for long without the sense that time is being wasted. Do I consider myself a workaholic? The Merriam-Webster definition of a workaholic is simply “a compulsive worker”, so I assume I’m probably a borderline case though this self-assessment is rather subjective! Luckily, workaholism is not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), so one may safely assume that it is not an illness though the “compulsion” part does have a ring of OCD to it (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)!
Besides, there’s a difference between merely working/ being busy and being productive. It’s good to find tangible ways of measuring one’s own productivity, for the sake of self-fulfillment. One’s self-esteem must not depend on what others think, however, but rather on one’s conviction that one has done one’s best. The quality of one’s work and efforts should matter the most. One must never be proud of high quantity poor quality work output no matter what pressures one is under.
In the end, it remains true that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Vacation time is important for refreshing oneself and zesting up one’s spirit. One can be more physically active in the holidays than when one is glued to one’s desk or in front of a computer all the time. Without vacations we would all be duller, and probably fatter and much less healthy as well; and vacation time needn’t be all play: it can be partly productive. Just consider this blog, for example. It wouldn’t have started if it weren’t for the summer holiday that triggered it. Instead of silently ruminating about one’s work, one can blog about it, reflecting and sharing one’s experiences for the benefit of others.
Posted by May Mikati on 18 July 2011, 11:18 AM
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