Quick Tales: The Siesta Mystery
La Siesta. In our modern workplace, it has been looked down on when you take a nap during “business hours.” Though I have been in multiple types of work setups (corporate, at home, at a vacation and more), I have always valued the importance of those little hours in between lunch and the afternoon.
In the Philippines, siesta is a tradition amongst households. I grew up being required to take a nap in the afternoon. My mother told us that we won’t grow tall if we do not take these required afternoon naps.
As I grew older, I forgot about la siesta. The school did not offer an alternative to napping as well. However, I noticed a consistent attitude in the workforce. The hours after lunch do not really offer top productivity results. This is the middle of the day when people are psychologically and physically recuperating. Therefore, there is very little productive work produced during these hours. So, for our team, we even implemented a 2 to 3-hour break for the siesta.
But, siesta is not just about laying around and getting “lazy.” It is simply wasting of resources when people work with less than the focus required to produce creative results. For me, it is about respecting the hours of the day when your body should rest and allowing your mind to create a space between the high demands of every day life and solitude.
Of course, there are meetings, tasks and jobs that really needed to be covered during siesta hours. However, I practice it as much as possible.
La Siesta may have a different origin story compared to how we see it now, but for me, siesta symbolizes our need for pausing. A time for reflecting things over and appreciating the life around us.
So, whether it is a 30-minute nap time or an hour of high tea, siesta can be whatever it is that you want it to be for as long as it gives you some moment of the day to get your peace and quiet.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pat Villaceran is an author and social entrepreneur. Her books are available at THE REVOLUZIONNE Library. She builds companies that foster excellence and social responsibility. Her focus is on finance, media, publishing and other ventures. She also mentors entrepreneurs and career personalities on success, high-level business strategies, global market expansion and more. If you want to get on a coaching call with Pat, you can reserve your slot today!
