The Human Machine Culture

A few years ago, when I was working as an educator, my instructional coach uttered something that seemed to have almost slipped out accidentally rather than stated as a proclamation. She turned to me and my partner educator and said, “You know, I was an educator 20 years ago and I had plenty to do; you ladies are expected to do three times as much with the same amount of hours.” Mouth dropped. This was the first time I’d ever heard an actual person in a position of leadership openly admit what all of us had already felt years ago, deep in our bones. The expectations in the work place are terrifically unrealistic. And in my experience, no one in authority ever really talks about it openly, perhaps in fear that it will give credibility towards sentiments of work life balance not just being a buzz word, but something real and urgent. A priceless confession. The next thought that came to my mind was, but what is the driving force behind these expectations? I can think of many, but the first that came to mind was, technology. And simultaneously, the same mechanistic ethos that we experience at work has crept into the private spaces of our personal lives as well. Insert — smart phone.In the same way that we get beside ourselves with anguish waiting for our devices to buffer after five seconds of waiting, we also, maybe even unconsciously, project those expectations onto ourselves and the people around us too. Here are some techniques that I have worked towards implementing consistently, that have been complete game changers in reclaiming my pace. I do not turn my phone on, except on very rare occasions, until I have done these three things: I find something, anything, to appreciate within the first few seconds of waking up. I may turn to my pillow, smile and think, I really appreciate having a soft plush pillow to sleep on at night.

Visit