It's said that if monkeys hack long enough on a typewriter, than they will inexorably end up writing something that makes sense.
Let's see if this is also true for scientists...



Saturday 6 August 2011

Long term efficiency

Last week, I saw a woman taking a 1-hour yoga class with her cell phone in hand. The next day a colleague discussed his efforts to fit a 2-hour vacation into his work schedule. This prompted me to think about a scientific and controlled test:

For 40 years (the duration of our work life), Group A does the above, whereas Group B turns off their cell phones when focused on certain activities (including driving, seminars, sleep) and takes, say, 25 days of vacation per year. At the end, we will compare both groups for:
-total work output & achievements
- innovation at work (for that’s what our nation will most need to remain competitive)
- days of sick leave
- number of times the world has collapsed in off-times
- percentage of divorces
- financial burden to society due to medication (such as against high cholesterol, blood pressure, anxiety, but also days of hospitalization because of disease or (car) accidents, and medical consulting)
-   rating of person’s intelligence and social impact by others
- personal happiness

This comparison should allow maximizing our long-term efficiency with respect to the above parameters.

Are there any volunteers for Group A or Group B?

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