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Ninety-Hour Work Week!

Robert Clements Robert Clements
13 Jan 2025

"How long can you stare at your wife?" asked L&T chairman Subrahmanyan, and suggested a 90-hour work week. "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be happier, because I work on Sundays,"

In today's fast-paced, technology-driven world, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. We're constantly connected to our devices, bombarded with notifications, and pressured to meet deadlines. As a result, many of us are feeling stressed, anxious, and burnt out.

Most of this stress lies in the fact that we're often encouraged to push ourselves to the limit, to be constantly productive, and to never take a break. In fact, another Indian billionaire and Chairman of Infosys has advocated a working lifestyle, of 14 hours a day!

However, these approaches are not only unsustainable but also unhealthy. When we don't take the time to relax, we can experience burnout, decreased motivation, and a weakened immune system. Moreover, chronic stress can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and mental health disorders.

People actually need more relief now than ever before. We are living more stressful, faster-paced lives than ever. An international study was conducted to measure the speed of life. Researchers secretly timed how fast thousands of pedestrians walked in London, Madrid, Singapore and New York. According to this study, we walk about 10% faster now than twenty years ago, when a similar experiment was conducted. The biggest changes are found in and around Asia, where the pace of life in China increased by over 20% and where Singapore showed a 30% increase.

But instead of getting bothered by the advice of these two leaders, let's realise it's time to learn to chill out.

Chilling is pretty good advice. Especially if the word "chill" is used as an acronym, which I love using in both my teaching and speaking:

C—Calm down. When you're anxious, frenzied or pressed, stop. Take a deep breath and ask yourself, "Why?"

H—Hold back. Set a reasonable pace. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. If you want to last, pace yourself and take time to rest.

I—Indulge your desire for fun. Do something with plenty of fun every day and try to put fun in your usual activities.

L—Learn how to just be. Don't measure your life by what you accomplish, but by who you are. Be present. Be attentive. Just be.

L—Let it go. You are not responsible for everything and everybody. In the immortal words of poet Robert Browning, "God's in His Heaven; all's right with the world."

We all want to emulate successful people, but if you need to enjoy life, which also means your wife, then "Chill" is a good word to remember…!

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