In a class this quarter taught by Andrew Nelson I read an interesting book, “Finding Time” by Leslie Perlow. The book discusses the impact of technology and the new economy on work/life balance. This year for the first time I enrolled in Yoga/Pilates for 2 reasons.
Reason 1: I have a bad back and I heard from multiple credible sources that this would strengthen and stretch my back muscles. This turned out to be dead on and my back hasn’t felt so good in a long time.
Reason 2: I am so consumed by technology/work, and I rarely have anything to keep me away from all my information flows.

Thanks to my trusty iPhone, I have access to all 7 of my email accounts as long as I’m awake, whether I’m at my computer or not. Google Alerts keeps me hooked into all relevant news articles that contain keywords I specify. Pageflakes provides me with a 1-stop-shop to read all of my online news. The list goes on and on. I find myself working in some way, shape, or form as long as I am awake. Furthermore, I see sleep as a necessity that is simply a detriment to my productivity.

What creates this mentality? Leslie Petrow argues that its our socio-economic system that rewards endless work, rather than balance and productivity. Deep down I believe this to be true. I truly feel that downtime allows for more engaged work and improved productivity, but within society one is pressured to always be working and showing ones dedication to their job.

This quarter, I decided to add an activity to my life that does not rely on technology to give me at least one hour every 2 days to relax and refocus. Unfortunately, I let my work get the best of me and missed more of my yoga/pilates fusion classes than expected.

Nevertheless, the classes I did attend left me feeling relaxed, invigorated, and motivated. I was also happily surprised to notice that my back has never felt so good. I almost got suckered into an expensive chiropractic treatment process, but I’m fairly certain that continuing these classes will suffice as a treatment for my back. I would definitely recommend yoga/pilates to anyone looking for an activity to assist with relaxation, strength, flexibility, or all of the above.

Off-topic