Daily Times

Nostalgia always gives a rosy tint to your memories, making people harp on about the “good old times” when they actually had the time to sit down with friends or family and simply talk. While there may be flaws in this narrative, it certainly has its merits. Ideally, technology should be making our lives easier by freeing up our time, and in theory it does so, too – but only sometimes. Just look at your own routine though, and you are likely to realize that the truth is far from this. The increase in our acquisition of gadgets is inversely proportional to opportunitiesfor meaningful human interaction and overall personal “downtime”.

The problem is not just spending copious amounts of time on playing games on our smartphones, or mindlessly browsing Facebook for hours at end. The time that used to be considered our free time has now been replaced by activities that involve sitting in front of a screen. Other than these entertainment-related activities, a lot of people have jobs that involve using a computer and staying active on their smartphone round the clock. About a decade ago, this lifestyle of “always online” was frowned upon and even discouraged. Times have changed –and it is now a norm to give something extra to your work by keeping at least some sort of connection with your office or colleagues after hours.

It is a fact that a lot of our entrepreneurs are doing some amazing work all over Pakistan. It is common to seesomeone striving to get a business up and running has a lot of work to do. They probably don’t have the time, or the inclination, to fake being busier than they actually are, right? This might be true in some cases, but in a lot of scenarios entrepreneurs have the tendency to unconsciously feel obligated to remain focused on their work even when they can occasionally afford to give some time to themselves. To understand this mentality, you have to look at the bigger picture and take stock of the business world’s latest social structure.

There was a time when the only way of being counted among the rich and famous was to spend like them. This can include wearing overpriced branded clothes, decorating your house with expensive paintings, or splashing your cash on anything that may have a cheaper alternative available. Extravagant spending has always gone a long way in asserting a person’s power in social circles. These days though, spending big is not the only status symbol, especially in the world of entrepreneurship. Even if you are not earning a lot and your business is struggling, working tirelessly can come across as your saving grace. Being busy is the latest way of showing the world that you literally and figuratively mean business. We have all heard stories of people like Steve Jobs, Marissa Mayer, Donald Trump and Jack Dorsey, all of whom are known for having a sleep cycle shorter than most. It is human nature to equate the success of these people with their ability to work longer hours. The assumption might not be false, but you have to remember that this is not the only way to succeed. There are less grueling paths that lead to that destination.

Being busy certainly has become the new status symbol in Pakistan as well. Almost all businessesget off to a very slow start and face a plethora of struggles. Things are bound to get steadier after a while, and once the initial onslaught subsides, an entrepreneur should ideally be in a place where he or she can actually start to celebrate their success occasionally. One can, and should, continue striving for more but that doesn’t mean obliterating every other aspect of your life. In our part of the world, it has recently been the norm to look down at entrepreneurs who aren’t doing something seemingly productive 24/7. The unspoken message is often that if you aren’t busy in an online meeting with your tech team at 3 in the morning, are you even serious about your business?

Whether you are a student, an entrepreneur, or are working a regular job, having some time dedicated to fitness, personal grooming or hobbies can enrich your life experience. After all, there is not much sense in working 90 hours a week to earn a large sum of money that you would feel too burnt out to spend in ten years’ time. The key is to reach you potential without losing sight of your aims and goals. Most people try to earn money to have a life where they can be happy, and you aren’t likely to get this happiness by spending every waking hour of your life worrying about how to increase your earnings. It’s important to keep things in perspective and remember to live your life.