Tabs on Google Chrome are my kryptonite. Clickbait was invented for people like me. In a job that requires endless research, it’s easy to fall into the rabbit hole that is the World Wide Web. But it was on one such foray that I came across 5217.
It might not be 42, which has been touted as “the answer to life, the universe and everything” in Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . But popular research suggests that working 52 minutes, then taking a 17-minute break, and repeating the cycle through the day, makes you a better worker.
Based on this premise, the 5217 app reminds you to keep working and tells you when to take a break.
There was some hesitancy to try it, mainly because it costs ₹140, and my middle-class Indian upbringing kept suggesting that I would be better off setting timers on my phone. But thanks to Google Play, all I needed to do was offer my fingerprint, and I was the proud owner of an app I paid for. I might as well be a unicorn, in a world where freemium apps get bad reviews and ratings when they don’t have “enough free content”.
So, I’ve been religiously using the app for the past couple of weeks, and while I’m not sure if it’s some sort of placebo effect, I seem to be getting more work done. The 17-minute break might seem exceedingly long, because normally, one ends up taking only about 10 to 15 minutes. But, it left me refreshed: instead of stretching out tasks over the entire workday, I set micro-goals to be achieved in every 52-minute block. The break was a chance to regroup and recoup. It made processing the day a lot easier, and, in turn, I stopped stressing so much. I walked around more and got a lot more fresh air.
This is probably the best time to charge my fitness band again. I gave up on it earlier because it kept reminding me that I had not moved from my chair for four hours straight.
The whole experience has got me thinking of how much pressure we put on ourselves in many aspects, especially to stay fit. It’s supposed to be the good kind of pressure, but it can get overboard to the point where that’s all you can think/talk about. Mental health is so crucial to getting started on and maintaining our physical health. We need to stop beating ourselves up if we don’t make it to the gym, or if we’ve had an extra helping of dessert. Sometimes, we need a break, and 17 minutes (or thereabouts) is just right. So, because, I still struggle with carving out a ‘workout routine’ I’m now taking baby steps, one hour at a time. And the days I can’t do the virtuous thrice-a-week gym, I am my own angel — I forgive myself, and try again.
