Page 23 - HaMizrachi Tu BiShvat 5782 - USA

Can you think of life without weekends, working hours. Besides the danger and creativity, and is essential to both
1
summer breaks, and holidays? If we involved, psychology professor Ale- achieve our highest levels of performance
had that kind of life, would we be more jandro Lleras’ analysis indicates that and simply form stable memories in every-
successful at achieving our academic, prolonged attention to a single task day life… Moments of respite may even be
financial, or personal goals? actually hinders performance: “We pro- necessary to keep one’s moral compass in
pose that deactivating and reactivating your working order and maintain a sense of self.” 3
Studies have shown that people are goals allows you to stay focused… From a
most effective when taking breaks In other words, physical and mental
in the middle of their work or study. practical standpoint, our research suggests fatigue can mitigate our ability to
that, when faced with long tasks (such as
Summer vacations and shorter work- studying before a final exam or doing your make ethical decisions because we’re
weeks increase productivity. There are taxes), it is best to impose brief breaks on too exhausted to remember who we
business people who have gone even are and what we value.
further, closing their businesses for a yourself. Brief mental breaks will actually Over the course of 2020–2021, the Covid-
2
year to rethink and re-explore – not help you stay focused on your task!” 19 pandemic has given the world econ-
because they had no work to do, but These studies indicate that Hashem omy and the environment some rest.
because they had an overabundance created the human mind and body Satellite pictures of pollution levels
of it. They felt they were losing them- in such a manner that they are more before and after Covid-19 aren’t even
selves in their work and were growing healthy and productive when they rest. comparable. In the words of Dr. Stuart
out of touch with their creative and Rest allows us to replace stress and Pimm of Duke University: “[This global
spiritual selves. By taking a year off, exhaustion with productivity and pandemic] is giving us this quite extraordi-
they gave themselves many years of creativity while engaged in our goals. nary insight into just how much of a mess
success, finding themselves again in Science writer Ferris Jabr summarizes we humans are making of our beautiful
the process. planet. This is giving us an opportunity to
the benefits of taking breaks in an arti- 4
A recent study by the World Health cle in Scientific American: “Downtime magically see how much better it can be.”
Organization attributes hundreds of replenishes the brain’s stores of attention What all these studies are uncovering
thousands of deaths a year to long and motivation, encourages productivity may be a small aspect of the beauty

| 23