Module One Assignment: Reading Response

The text I will be using for this assignment is Psychology Today’s article by Lynn
Zubernis “A break is never a waste of time.” (A Break Is Never a Waste of Time.,
n.d.)

Then, explain why you chose that text: I’ve chosen this text because of how well it
encapsulates what most people have been led to believe about breaks and leisure
time being pointless due to the increase in working from home during the
pandemic. It also brings up many points on why we shouldn’t be devaluing the
importance of a break and providing many methods to unwind effectively.

Identify the topic of the text: The topic of the text is the importance of leisure
time while working from home during the pandemic and how to beneficially take
breaks without feeling guilty about not being productive. As well as the role of
fandom as a form of serious leisure.

Identify the genre of the text: The text here tries to persuade the audience by
providing examples, situations and an overview of the topic's benefits. This makes
the genre of the text a cross between casual analysis and discourse.

Describe the writer’s purpose: The writer’s purpose here is to explain and
persuade the audience why thinking of taking breaks as a pointless waste of time
is detrimental to both physical and mental health.

Determine the historical context of the text: This article was written during the
thick of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, during the mass transition from working
at an office to remote work to prevent the spread of the virus. At that time,
working from home, unless it was a special case, was still synonymous with being
“lazy” or “unproductive” because the worker was at home, instead of at their
office. There was a growing pressure to remain constantly efficient because of the
negative connotations associated with working from home, and people began to
sacrifice their need for breaks just to squeeze in a little more work.
Determine the cultural context of the text: A heavy basis of this text is the work-
from-home culture that began to gain more traction due to the pandemic, as
companies urged their employees to work remotely to stay safe from the virus.
This article is about most people who gave up on unwinding or taking breaks, so
they seemed like hard workers to their employers while at home. The writer was
sympathetic to their struggles, hoping to explain how this was not a good plan of
action and why taking breaks was necessary to boost their efficiency and
productivity.

Identify the core idea of the text: The core idea of the text is that guilting yourself
into believing you don’t need or deserve leisure time because you feel like you’re
missing out on important work is what is, in fact, reducing your ability to perform
at your best. It’s important to take breaks and let your mind rest from strenuous
tasks at work not only to help you work better, but also to keep you happy and
satisfied rather than anxious and stressed. Not only that, but also taking those
productive breaks allows you time to pursue things you like, thereby helping you
feel more satisfied about life overall when you reach that balance between
productivity and recreation.

Identify details of the text that are relevant to the core idea: Zubernis stated in
the introduction the increase in need to be productive and the guilt involved with
breaks while working from home:
“Unfortunately, while many people find some real benefits in working
from home, they also report feeling increased pressure to be busy and
purposeful at their makeshift workstations, leading them to feel selfish
or guilty when they pursue even a few moments of leisure.”

“Believing that leisure is unproductive undermined their enjoyment of

whatever activity they pursued but especially if the activity was
undertaken as an end in itself without any specific instrumental goal.”

While mentioning the benefits of leisure she talks about pursuing that personal
activity leading to the feeling of purpose
 “Pursuing an activity that is not considered traditionally productive but
is instead “just for me” can provide someone a sense of control and
choice they may not feel in other aspects of their life.”

In the section about fandom as a form of serious leisure, she goes on to mention
the positive results of being able to get involved in creating for something you like
and participating in fandom:
“Fans, like others, can struggle with feelings of guilt about devoting
time and energy to something not widely seen as productive, but those
who can look past those concerns and let themselves fully engage in
their activities should reap such benefits as self-expression, a sense of
belonging, and the experience of joy.”

Finally, in the conclusion she advises not to feel guilty when taking a step back
from work to take a break and ruin the fulfillment those experiences bring:
“However you use that time, try not to let feelings of guilt interfere with
the joy those experiences can bring. Far from being a waste of time,
these moments can bring us relief when we need it most.”
Citations:
1. A break is never a waste of time. (n.d.).

https://eds-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

vid=1&sid=9526b024-5302-4ae1-a269-b36068630eb5%40redis