Soaking Up the Sun, and Not Just for Fun!
How could sunbathing help with your career? Isn’t the idea a little far-fetched – possibly outrageous even? Not really. You’re only going to sunbathe in your vacation time, so – unless you overdo it – there’s no negative impact whatsoever on your work performance. On the contrary, you may be relaxing, recharging yourself for work, and possibly even reflecting on your work as I am doing now while writing this at the beach – if you’re not actually getting some work done there that is!
Reading work-related material and writing while at the beach is easy if you’re not distracted. I’ve done it repeatedly and successfully in the past though I’ll have to admit that this vacation was so seriously busy that half the summer slipped by before I finally got to the beach.
Scientifically speaking, the sun can give you a useful mood lift too, especially if you don’t normally get much sun due to the nature and environment of your work – e.g. if you’re in a closed office most of the time. Depression is a top enemy of productivity and creativity. Haven’t we all heard of people who became depressed and much less productive partly due to insufficient outdoor exposure? Haven’t we also heard of people in Scandinavian countries who have committed suicide partly due to sun deprivation? Clearly, if you’re living in Lebanon you’re not likely to be that deprived of the sun, but you may still need more of it, depending on your lifestyle. In any case, everyone needs to get away from the office every now and then, even if only for a change of scene. Monotonous work routines are notorious for killing creativity.
The sea and wind can give you the perception of an added energy boost at the beach. It’s windy today although the temperature is over 35 degrees C. Water is spraying from the waves, reaching me, a dozen or more meters away. The sound of the waves crashing and the wind humming stimulates the mind in an unusual way. The cooling effect of the wind, along with the water spray, will keep me in the sun a little longer than initially anticipated. A second application of sunblock will allow me to finish this piece in one sitting. I’m running out of paper and my laptop isn’t with me; I’m not in the habit of carrying it to the beach though I do envision a paperless beach, in parallel with a paperless office, in the not too distant future.
On a still lighter note, come to think of it, a tanned co-worker or teacher may be perceived as a less boring, and possibly less threatening character – someone to listen to and cooperate with. Who wants to be around a serious, pale-looking teacher or colleague sitting at their computer day in, day out, year after year? Very few I would think. Wouldn’t you agree that a bronzed employee tends to be perceived as more fun to have around than a nerdy looking one, who is more likely to give the impression of being strict and mean, possibly even nit-picking, if not ruthlessly competitive (and hence to be fought and, whenever possible, humiliated)?
Appearances can play a role in one’s career, and they can be surprisingly deceptive, so one must unfortunately pay attention to them though of course not at the expense of one’s time or dignity. Not that everyone around is superficial in judging others; rather, it is more of a subconscious matter. Everyone knows that even intellectuals are affected by appearances though I suspect few would want to admit it. Sad, isn’t it? Well, cheer up, there’s much more to life than this superficiality. Get out and get some sun, and (forgive the pun) - who knows? -perhaps you’ll remember this post the next time you roast!
Posted by May Mikati on 12 August 2011, 10:33 PM
How could sunbathing help with your career? Isn’t the idea a little far-fetched – possibly outrageous even? Not really. You’re only going to sunbathe in your vacation time, so – unless you overdo it – there’s no negative impact whatsoever on your work performance. On the contrary, you may be relaxing, recharging yourself for work, and possibly even reflecting on your work as I am doing now while writing this at the beach – if you’re not actually getting some work done there that is!
Reading work-related material and writing while at the beach is easy if you’re not distracted. I’ve done it repeatedly and successfully in the past though I’ll have to admit that this vacation was so seriously busy that half the summer slipped by before I finally got to the beach.
Scientifically speaking, the sun can give you a useful mood lift too, especially if you don’t normally get much sun due to the nature and environment of your work – e.g. if you’re in a closed office most of the time. Depression is a top enemy of productivity and creativity. Haven’t we all heard of people who became depressed and much less productive partly due to insufficient outdoor exposure? Haven’t we also heard of people in Scandinavian countries who have committed suicide partly due to sun deprivation? Clearly, if you’re living in Lebanon you’re not likely to be that deprived of the sun, but you may still need more of it, depending on your lifestyle. In any case, everyone needs to get away from the office every now and then, even if only for a change of scene. Monotonous work routines are notorious for killing creativity.
The sea and wind can give you the perception of an added energy boost at the beach. It’s windy today although the temperature is over 35 degrees C. Water is spraying from the waves, reaching me, a dozen or more meters away. The sound of the waves crashing and the wind humming stimulates the mind in an unusual way. The cooling effect of the wind, along with the water spray, will keep me in the sun a little longer than initially anticipated. A second application of sunblock will allow me to finish this piece in one sitting. I’m running out of paper and my laptop isn’t with me; I’m not in the habit of carrying it to the beach though I do envision a paperless beach, in parallel with a paperless office, in the not too distant future.
On a still lighter note, come to think of it, a tanned co-worker or teacher may be perceived as a less boring, and possibly less threatening character – someone to listen to and cooperate with. Who wants to be around a serious, pale-looking teacher or colleague sitting at their computer day in, day out, year after year? Very few I would think. Wouldn’t you agree that a bronzed employee tends to be perceived as more fun to have around than a nerdy looking one, who is more likely to give the impression of being strict and mean, possibly even nit-picking, if not ruthlessly competitive (and hence to be fought and, whenever possible, humiliated)?
Appearances can play a role in one’s career, and they can be surprisingly deceptive, so one must unfortunately pay attention to them though of course not at the expense of one’s time or dignity. Not that everyone around is superficial in judging others; rather, it is more of a subconscious matter. Everyone knows that even intellectuals are affected by appearances though I suspect few would want to admit it. Sad, isn’t it? Well, cheer up, there’s much more to life than this superficiality. Get out and get some sun, and (forgive the pun) - who knows? -perhaps you’ll remember this post the next time you roast!
Posted by May Mikati on 12 August 2011, 10:33 PM
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