When I worked as a backcountry ranger at Mt. Rainier in the late 1970s, we were required to make a list of work projects for our areas each season. These lists might include ongoing work (split and haul firewood) or single tasks (repair bridge over creek.)
The lists changed over the course of the season as jobs were completed and others added. But one task on the list never changed. It was Work Project #4 and was listed as “Read books and drink cocoa.”
Work Project #4 was a joke that everyone was in on, but it was more than that. Of course there were times when we “read books and drank cocoa” instead of engaging in more productive work.
Sometimes the weather did not allow for other work to be done. Sometimes we were between projects with no new goals yet identified. Sometimes we were tired from a particularly exhausting job just completed. And sometimes we just felt like goofing off.
Slacking by design
The real value of including Work Project #4 on our lists was that it made us intentional about goofing off. Days spent at a remote backcountry cabin can be long. It was critical to structure our time there so we did not gradually fall into a habit of sleeping until noon and doing one quick tour of the nearby campsite before calling it a day.
That danger was one reason for the work project lists — so we would always have a concrete plan in place and would not have to make up work as we went along. It felt good to identify specific goals and achieve them through the course of the summer.
But sometimes you need to goof off a little too. When managed well, down time is a positive among groups — it allows for necessary rest and creates space for members to get to know one another on a more personal level. We needed down time to be our best in the rest of our work.
Defining down time as a part of a healthy work ethic makes managing that down time much easier. When we found ourselves goofing off too long, the person in charge could say, “OK, enough of Work Project #4. What do you want to work on next?” Or at the end of a hard day of physical labor, the supervisor could announce, “For the rest of the day, we’ll all be doing Work Project #4.”
Firehouse naps
Being intentional about managing down time meant that we were self-aware when it was happening, and saw it as just one of many things we did in a normal week of work. Nobody is busy all the time at work, and nobody should have to pretend to be. But even when down time is a positive aspect of teamwork and productivity, it must be managed so as not to be abused.
When I first came on the fire department, it was an unwritten rule that we took half-hour naps right after lunch, from 1230 to 1300. I was never much of a napper, but I quickly saw the value of this ritual for all involved.
Some people actually slept in a restorative way. Others simply shared some quiet time with the crew. It was very relaxing, and even felt a bit decadent at first — sleeping during the day at work!
But as important as this time was, it was equally important that it ended. At 1300 hours the officer would rouse himself from his chair and we would move onto other projects for the rest of the day.
Slow-station structure
Structured down time is important for both busy stations and slow ones. In busy stations, a short daytime nap or time spent playing a game together can restore energy and motivation for when the calls resume.
For slow stations, down time must be structured, or whole shifts can turn into Work Project #4. Without structure, shifts at slow stations can seem endless, and focus can drift from meaningful work to gossip, social media bingeing, or marathons of People’s Court on TV.
Crews at slow stations will feel better if they have a plan for the day with identifiable goals they can accomplish. Then if all has gone well, an officer might announce at 1500 hours that Work Project #4 may commence.
Ask any firefighter — they will tell you that some of their best times in the fire station were when the crew found itself just goofing off together. Goofing off, when managed well, is an important part of creating and maintaining a high performing team. Self-awareness of this use of time is the key.
