Productivity
Pause to work better: How Indian professionals approach productivity
We speak with three people from different industries with varied workday structures to understand how breathers between work help improve productivity.
Sharkshe – content creator and gamer
Shakshi Shetty is better known as Sharkshe to her 342k Instagram followers and 510k YouTube subscribers.
The creator-gamer is known as much for her engaging content as she is for her dedication to fitness.
While her fitness routines might seem supplementary to her gaming career, Sharkshe insists it is essential for her productivity since they are carefully planned intervals amid her work day.
“If you are into gaming or sit at a computer for long hours for work, it is essential to practice some form of physical activity. Whatever you like — be it swimming or some kind of sport. Because sitting for hours in a single spot, it does affect your health. Squeezing in some kind of activity is super important. I’ve realised it with time,” says Sharkshe.
Sharkshe with drift athlete Abdo Feghali
© Focus Sports
When at her work desk, Sharkshe tends to livestream games for long stretches – sometimes five hours, sometimes eight. So scheduling exercise is her way of slowing down.
“I like to balance work with a little bit of workout. I like to squeeze in at least two-three workouts a week — sometimes even four. Each time, I hit the gym for one hour. These workouts really help with my mental health and overall productivity flow. Just taking one hour in the middle of my workday makes a lot of difference.”
For Sharkshe, another sure shot way of keeping burnout away is engaging with friends and family. “If I want to unwind... I have a limited circle of close friends — a set of three. I’ll take breaks during the day to catch up with them and have conversations with my family. I’m very enthu about trying out new cafes, so I step away from my gaming desk for a coffee sometimes. That’s recharging for me.”
Before getting into long streaming sessions at her desk, she makes sure to stay fuelled and equipped.
“I’ll probably eat a little beforehand so that I am energetic throughout the stream, and I can go on playing for hours without getting drained or tired. I usually keep an energy drink on hand, which I keep sipping between streaming — usually I stick to Red Bull Sugarfree. And I’ll munch on some healthy snacks every now and then.”
Saad Khan – president and managing partner of DDB Mudra Group
Saad describes his workdays as “fairly conventional”. He says like anyone else who works in an office, some days are jam-packed while some are relatively relaxed.
But one thing is for sure, every Monday is a hectic workday. “And when I say hectic – I mean back-to-back meetings, so I have very little time to take a breather. When working with people in a team, you cannot be selfish; you have to respect everybody’s time. So I avoid taking personal time on busy days,” says Saad.
That said, he always makes sure to fit in a walk around the office floor to help him clear his mind between meetings. Sometimes that might be to get a cup of coffee or have a chat with a colleague; but it functions as a short breather.
Despite the heavy workload, Saad is very supportive of his team taking time when needed.
“I know that we all need breathers. I try to encourage my team to work according to their style. Some people like to take a break to listen to music — so I say, ‘Go ahead if that helps you, and come back refreshed.’ Someone else might want to play video games for a short while, and I support that. My priority is to make sure work gets done as fast as possible so people can leave the office on time, and no one has a burnout.”
A tea break
© Daniel Kolodin | Red Bull Content Pool
Saad is not a believer in any predetermined work-interval routine to increase productivity. “Some people follow the Pomodoro Technique, right? I don’t do that,” he says. “If I’m in the zone, I don’t break the zone. I don’t want to break the zone. For example, if I’m writing a strategy, or am writing a deck, then chances are I will not take a pause in the middle... you know, if I am getting a complete rhythm to it.”
The Pomodoro Technique that Saad talks about is a time-management method developed in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. It has gained popularity on social media in recent years.
The technique aims to maximise productivity through a process in which you indulge in deep work for 25 minutes and then take a mandatory five-minute pause from work. Each pause is called a ‘Pomodoro’ — Italian for ‘tomato’, because Francesco used a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato to time himself when developing the technique. Francesco said that after a few of these ‘Pomodori’ work-pause segments, you should have successfully completed your task with maximum efficiency.
While Saad is a firm believer of working at a stretch when he is in a flow state, he also doesn’t force himself to work.
“If I’m not in the zone and can’t get a smooth start to work, I prefer to drop the work and change my environment. I step out of office, to visit a tiny chai stall. I drink a cup of tea, take a five–six-minute walk in the sunshine, sometimes I even listen to music. I try to step away from work to actively change my space and mentality, because I know that a change can trigger a new idea and help me be productive. So that interval is ultimately what’s best for me.”
Zerxes Wadia – content creator, adventurer and master of ceremonies
Zerxes Wadia
© Focus Sports
Another non-believer of the Pomodoro Technique is Zerxes Wadia.
“If you knew how my brain works, those five-minute pauses will never be five minutes. I’ll get distracted by something and whoop – 50 minutes gone! I do believe in breaks... I just don’t believe in defining them,” he says.
As a social media creator who is constantly engaging his 304k followers on Instagram, Zerxes’ workdays are very different from what a regular 9–5 office job might look like.
“There are days when I have an endless amount of work. On those days, I just keep at it... doing one thing after another.”
So, does Zerxes follow any kind of work-pause routine to recharge himself during or after those jam-packed days?
“I don’t like the word 'routine', because I feel it is binding and restrictive,” he says. “My approach is quite simple. I think 15-20-minute intervals between work are not enough. I mean, they are good to get my mind a little less worked up and allow me a little distraction. But eventually, I have to go back to what I was doing. And when I have work, it will always be continuously on my mind, even when I’m taking 15-minute breathers. So what I do is wrap up the work and then take a few days off. That’s my true time off work.”
Zerxes has a fun way of thinking about his work-pause balance.
“My career is one long breather... I just work in the middle of it. I’m a creator, right? So, I decide my own rules!”