hidden image

Ninety-Hour Work Week!

Robert Clements Robert Clements
13 Jan 2025

"How long can you stare at your wife?" asked L&T chairman Subrahmanyan, and suggested a 90-hour work week. "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be happier, because I work on Sundays,"

In today's fast-paced, technology-driven world, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. We're constantly connected to our devices, bombarded with notifications, and pressured to meet deadlines. As a result, many of us are feeling stressed, anxious, and burnt out.

Most of this stress lies in the fact that we're often encouraged to push ourselves to the limit, to be constantly productive, and to never take a break. In fact, another Indian billionaire and Chairman of Infosys has advocated a working lifestyle, of 14 hours a day!

However, these approaches are not only unsustainable but also unhealthy. When we don't take the time to relax, we can experience burnout, decreased motivation, and a weakened immune system. Moreover, chronic stress can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and mental health disorders.

People actually need more relief now than ever before. We are living more stressful, faster-paced lives than ever. An international study was conducted to measure the speed of life. Researchers secretly timed how fast thousands of pedestrians walked in London, Madrid, Singapore and New York. According to this study, we walk about 10% faster now than twenty years ago, when a similar experiment was conducted. The biggest changes are found in and around Asia, where the pace of life in China increased by over 20% and where Singapore showed a 30% increase.

But instead of getting bothered by the advice of these two leaders, let's realise it's time to learn to chill out.

Chilling is pretty good advice. Especially if the word "chill" is used as an acronym, which I love using in both my teaching and speaking:

C—Calm down. When you're anxious, frenzied or pressed, stop. Take a deep breath and ask yourself, "Why?"

H—Hold back. Set a reasonable pace. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. If you want to last, pace yourself and take time to rest.

I—Indulge your desire for fun. Do something with plenty of fun every day and try to put fun in your usual activities.

L—Learn how to just be. Don't measure your life by what you accomplish, but by who you are. Be present. Be attentive. Just be.

L—Let it go. You are not responsible for everything and everybody. In the immortal words of poet Robert Browning, "God's in His Heaven; all's right with the world."

We all want to emulate successful people, but if you need to enjoy life, which also means your wife, then "Chill" is a good word to remember…!

Recent Posts

In a world scarred by war, hatred, and inhuman leadership, education must humanise, not merely inform. Sanjeevani Vidyapeeth shows how empowering the marginalised with values, character, and competenc
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
07 Jul 2025
The sinking of MSC ELSA 3 off Kerala's coast exposes a toxic mix of corporate impunity, political complicity, and environmental neglect. As hazardous cargo threatens lives and livelihoods, the silence
apicture Joseph Maliakan
07 Jul 2025
In a world slipping into chaos, where leaders trade threats and valorise violence, India mirrors this decay, silencing dissent, weaponising identity, and pushing the marginalised to the margins. The c
apicture Thomas Menamparampil
07 Jul 2025
When Fr. Stan Swamy died on July 5, 2021, the world of truth and justice was shocked and saddened. Those who belonged to this group were convinced that his death was not a natural one, but a premedita
apicture Cedric Prakash
07 Jul 2025
The strength of India is in her democracy; the unity of India is in her diversity; the heritage of India is in her hospitality, the breath of India is in her principle of Ahimsa/non-violence, and the
apicture Fr. L. Michael Collins
07 Jul 2025
Marking June 25 as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' is a calculated distortion of history, designed to vilify Indira Gandhi while deflecting from the ongoing, undeclared Emergency under Modi.
apicture G Ramachandram
07 Jul 2025
When a nation stops examining itself, it stops evolving. When a people stop questioning, they stop progressing. And when truth is replaced by lies, it takes only a few years for credibility to erode —
apicture Robert Clements
07 Jul 2025
The Emergency must be remembered, not as a tool to target a political party but as a lesson against authoritarian excess. Yet, we cannot ignore that worse violations of democratic norms and human righ
apicture A. J. Philip
30 Jun 2025
Fifty years later, India faces a chilling déjà vu with an 'undeclared' Emergency. Freedom of speech is stifled, dissent is suppressed, and institutions are compromised. True democracy demands resistan
apicture Cedric Prakash
30 Jun 2025
Amit Shah's claim that those who speak English will be ashamed evidences that the BJP-RSS is trying to bring down the populace and push India into another Vedic dark age where ignorance and superstiti
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
30 Jun 2025