Monday Musings -- Noontime Nap?

During my second assignment to the Pentagon, I worked for the Assistant Secretary or the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Prior to that assignment, while I'd heard of the office, I really did not have a full appreciation for everything over which that office has oversight.

That small office oversees all Air Force human resource matters, medical matters, The Air Force Academy, and everything in the Air Force National Guard and Reserve components. My own oversight portfolio included billions of dollars of assets, scores of regulatory documents, and a wide array of disparate program areas.

Following one year in that first role, I moved to "the front office", essentially becoming the Chief of Staff. The position was actually named "Director of the Action Group". Best way to describe it to readers who are unfamiliar with what that position does inside the Department of Defense is as the Chief of Staff.

Like most, if not all Pentagon staff positions, you're a one-man band doing more than one professional should have on his or her plate. Most days, I hit the office between 6:00 and 6:30 AM, and most days, usually didn't leave before 6:30 or 7:00 PM.

Very long days and those 12 hours or more each day usually were packed and pressure filled. I often said and shared, we work "half-days", because 12 hours is, of course, half of a 24-hour day.

Most days, I left with things undone. That was not a deliberate choice, rather, I knew when my tank was empty, and it was time to call it a day. To say I was exhausted much of the time is an understatement. Not a complaint, rather sharing how overwrought I was by the time I'd been in the seat one year prior to taking another assignment away from DC.

Sharing all of this, because as I read the piece linked at the end of my comments, it reminded me that I once recommended to the Assistant Secretary (a four-star general equivalent political appointee) that we should promulgate a policy allowing for a 20-minute daily siesta for all Air Force personnel.

I meant it. I could have used a short nap nearly every afternoon! He, in theory, had the authority to do it, and I was happy to write a single page policy outlining the practice and approval authorities.

Of course, we did not take any action in this direction. There is sound science behind taking breaks, some of which this linked piece points out.

During my third (and last) assignment to the Pentagon prior to retiring from the Air Force 13 months ago, I made it part of my daily practice to take a walk every day (or, nearly every day).

The Pentagon has 17.5 miles of corridors. If one walks the outer ring, the largest of the five rings comprising the bulk of the building, it is about one mile around. The innermost ring is about a half mile around. It's easy to calculate distance if one isn't wearing a Garmin, Fitbit, or other wrist accouterment that accounts steps.

Often around mid-day, you can see people with walking shoes on, doing a lap, or more, around the outer ring.

While this isn't a siesta in the napping sense, it was a deliberate decision to push away from my desk, ignore my screen for 15-20 minutes, get the blood flowing a bit and just move.

While the time changed depending on my daily schedule, this practice helped me refresh, reframe, and refocus on the rest of the day.

So, "doing nothing" isn't just for non-working days. And, yes, as an Executive, I did this! Now that I primarily work from my home office, I have to remind myself it's ok to push away from the desk, ignore the screen, and go take a walk.

The Sacred Art of Doing Nothing. Why Doing Nothing is Doing A Lot | by Dan Foster | Backyard Church | Dec, 2024 | Medium