SINGAPORE, June 28 — Some Singaporeans work long hours, feel stuck in a routine and want to take a break — but when they do take time off, they feel guilty about it. Sounds familiar?
A new survey has found that nearly six in 10 people here — 57 per cent — wish they were doing something more productive when they do finally take a break.
And about half of the 600 respondents in the survey feel stressed at the prospect of doing nothing, while three in 10 admitted they simply do not know how to relax.
The survey was conducted in April on behalf of the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) as it works to encourage Singaporeans to de-stress and enjoy some downtime.
Of course, the SDC, which oversees the development, management and promotion of Sentosa, has a motive in highlighting the need for relaxation: The survey is part of a new campaign, Make Time, urging people to chill out — and Sentosa has the facilities for this.
Most people want to spend more time with loved ones
The survey found that nearly three in four people here — 74 per cent — wished they could spend more time with their family and loved ones.
But do they put those desires into action? Not really. About half of respondents felt bound by a daily routine they could not escape.
And when the survey analysed how a typical Singaporean spends the 168 hours in a week, the results were startling.
On average, only 2.8 hours were devoted to leisure time spent with family and friends, excluding meal times. That represents barely 1 per cent of the week.
In a panel discussion held by SDC on the survey findings, Dr Sin Harng Luh, Assistant Professor at the Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore (NUS), said the nation’s incessant striving for excellence impeded people’s ability to take a break with ease.
“I think what has happened over time is that with excellence… it’s all about productivity, doing more, getting more, having more,” she said.
A KPI-driven society
Dr Tan Ern Ser, Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology at NUS, agreed, saying that Singapore is “very much a KPI (key performance indicator) driven society”.
“And also in the broader sense, I also think we are very much driven by the so-called five Cs,’’ he said, referring to cash, car, credit card, country club and condominium.
“We all want to do better, we want to have a car, have an apartment and more cash, you know.”
Dr Daniel Fung, chairman of the medical board at the Institute of Mental Health, advocates a more nuanced understanding of blending work and life, saying that work-life balance is “impossible”.
He suggests integrating the two aspects of life. “That means create a situation where when at work, you can also think about your family. Don’t just say that at work it’s work and then when it’s family time, it’s family time,” he said.
And the SDC notes that breaks need not be long to be effective.
“Indeed, from the research, it is clear that Singaporeans yearn to break free from their stressful routines and spend quality time with their loved ones. Yet, it is important to note that such breaks need not require long hiatuses from our jobs,” said Lynette Ang, SDC’s chief marketing officer.
Want to relax? just be
Dr Sin said it might be people’s desire to “be something” that makes time spent “never good enough”.
To reconcile taking breaks and keeping up with getting things done, Dr Sin encourages locals to be more spontaneous and “just be”.
“With our weekends packed, we don’t have spontaneity in our lives. We no longer have that kind of, ‘oh we have an evening off so let’s go to the beach, let’s just, you know, go to grandma’s house’, that sort of stuff,” she said.
“I think that as a society we need to begin to value and respect free time and time off and quality time. Just being with your family, just being yourself and appreciate and respect it and value it.” — TODAY
