Are Duvet Days a Solution or a Symptom?

More and more employees are turning back over and saying, “Not today, thank you” when they do, capitalizing on something called duvet days—self-managed non-PTO time off that organizations are increasingly offering as a perk.

But just how hectic can things be if you need duvet days to stay sane? Is this really a step forward, or is it merely a band-aid on a wounded attitude towards sustainable productivity practices?

We spoke to Roper Peckham-Cooper (he/him), Global Account Director at EZRA, to find out more.

The trust gap

“Companies are needing to do more with the same or less and prove their productivity,” Roper tells us. In turn, this “…drives more focus on their employees.”

Output demands ramp up. Pressure increases. And all the while, in a world of hybrid and remote working practices, employees feel less trusted than ever to execute fully. In fact, 50% of business leaders believe “out of sight” employees don’t work as hard despite evidence to the contrary.

As a result, “The pendulum is swinging to needing to see people’s productivity more, typically in person,” says Roper.

The great irony is, it’s exactly this lack of trust in individuals’ productivity that’s most damaging to it.

4 ways to take control of your productivity sustainably

But all is not lost. There are steps you can take to tap into productivity on your terms, ensuring you stay in balance and firing on all cylinders.

Work (mostly) when it works for you

“Know where and when you get your energy,” says Roper.

We’ve all heard the classic trope. Who’s a lark, who’s an owl? But it’s more than just a quaint little analogy. It’s a real phenomenon with a real impact on how you perform.

If you’re unsure where you fit, track your energy levels throughout the day. Once you know when your golden hours are, use that time to get into deep focus and slay that to-do list.

Block out time in your calendar

Taking control means setting boundaries, too.

Don’t be scared of blocking out time in your diary so no unexpected meetings find their way in and crash your productivity party. It all helps to protect your cognitive bandwidth.

Move your body

“Some form of movement,” especially in the morning, can be beneficial too, Roper believes.

Exercise is a natural way of enhancing cognitive performance. But it’s also easy to overlook in our rush to get things done.

Even if it’s just taking the stairs, not the lift, every little helps.

Prioritize rest

Those who worship the grind like to think success is directly proportional to time and effort. But that assumes an infinite capacity. Really, we’re like a wet towel. Squeeze us enough and we’ll run dry.

“It’s easy to forget how crucial rest is to being more productive,” Roper thinks.

Downtime isn’t a way to recover from being productive; it’s an integral part of it. Archimedes had his eureka moment in the bath, not his seventh back-to-back meeting of the afternoon.

You are more than your productivity

With all the noise around productivity and the rhetoric espoused from hustle culture, “It’s easy to think that someone’s output is linked to their value,” Roper points out.

But always remember, you are more than your productivity. After all, it’s the individual who creates the success, not the success that creates the individual.