By The worst part of problem solving is accepting that the problem cannot be solved and that the only sure thing to do is to endure. This has become the reason for the rush-hour induced stress. These days it has become a trend to ‘normalise’ a situation and just like that we have glorified being busy and in a rush.
Do you feel the pressure mounting when you are rushing the entire morning- wake up to the horrendous sound of the alarm after snoozing it a few times, get up and prepare meals, deal with the house-help if you have one, get the kids ready and drop them off to school, hurriedly rush to the office in the morning traffic and then start your work day in the same fashion.
Can you even faintly hear the words- reflect, think and contemplate in this entire routine. Is it even just to yourself to start your day in this manner and continue the same way? So, here is my solution to the problem- something that I had experienced during my school days.
I had the opportunity of studying in quite a few schools of different cultures and one thing that I notice in few of the schools was the concept of a home-room period. It is basically a 40–45-minute time window where the attendance is taken, important announcements made, events communicated etc. It is also a time where students can complete their pending tasks and prepare for the day– e.g. If a student is absent on the previous day, he/she can catch up on what they had missed the previous day. Some students would make use of the time to study for a quiz or test that was scheduled later that day.
In my view, this home-room period brought all the students to a level of calm- whatever hurried state they must have faced before coming into the school; the home-room period got everyone to the same equal platform of equanimity.
In those days, many students felt that the home-room period was futile and they could instead use the time to sleep or come a little later to the school. True, in that world perhaps that thought was true. Today, I reflect back on the home-room period and can’t help but deeply appreciate the concept behind it.
The truth is we all need a home-room at the start of our day at work. Do you think you deserve to disrespect yourself or your job with this haste? We need a home away from home at our workplaces too. A short window (perhaps 10-15 minutes) is required so that everyone at work is at the similar levels of equanimity and calm at the start of the day. Yes, to experience this homeroom, you would have to wake up 10 minutes earlier.
However, if the choice is an entire day’s calm for 10 minutes of sleep- is it not worth the trade?
