Sleep deprivation@work, 100 days plan and dissecting ar
Three essays that I found interesting:
Last week, McKinsey Insights shared their 2016 essay yet again. It’s about the organisational cost of insufficient sleep. Sleep is not just a personal issue anymore but an organisational challenge. ‘In an increasingly hyperconnected world, in which many companies now expect their employees to be on call and to answer emails 24/7, this is also an important organisational topic that requires specific and urgent attention,’ states the article. So what should organisations do to ensure their employees are not continually sleep-deprived? Create sleep awareness by introducing training programs for employees to understand both the value of good night’s sleep and also on how sleep quality can be improved. Moreover, introduce tools and policies that promote sleep hygiene, for instance, no red-eye flights, reserve napping pods at work, and introduce work-time limits. While all the ideas may not be applicable in all work environments, it’s worth looking at them for even a few improvements could go a long way as ‘the next generation of employees will demand (such) solutions even more strongly.’
Seth Godin writes short powerful notes that stay with you for a long while afterwards. He wrote this piece recently on what it takes to bring a change in 100 days. ‘For that change to happen’, he writes, ‘day 99 will need to be different from today. And so will day 98. In fact, so will tomorrow’. This piece reminded me of the power of making tiny changes and adapting small habits that can eventually lead to big changes, in contrast to aiming for radical shifts from one instant to the next.
Finally, this photo essay in the NY Times dissects a masterpiece and what the piece reveals about power and beauty. I am short on words on how to describe this essay, for it tells the story of a 17th century Indian art (about eight inches tall in reality) with the help of images from a Mughal-era painting. The painting is of a Mughal emperor (Shah Jahan) made by a Hindu painter (Chitraman) and carries not only Hindu and Islamic motifs but also Christian. The story goes on to explore other Indian and Persian art and the confluence of the two art forms. It’s a worthy scroll and I highly recommend having a look at this one.
A quote that I came across recently:
Every civilisation is just three meals away from barbarism
