Stefan Sagmeister: The power of time off

[MrChazz1985]

newby german wankster

[shellybirdy]

some really good stuff here

[grisgrisy]

brilliant video

[clearyourthirdeye]

so how do you afford having a whole year off? can you go into that more?!

[crudhousefull]

The happy yoga REALLY freaked me out

[nikrusty]

I love this...very nice

[SollingDown]

is he german`?` i am.

[1993Timdegroot]

@SollingDown he is from Ostenreich

[chandranale]

a very nice videol you have..I like it. How's it going?

[robertbizzell]

Wow it's great stuff but not a "sabbatical" its R&D

[bebeksolo]

wow..

[rheechashaipu]

Taking breaks and giving free time definitely helps people be more productive when their jobs have room for creativity. I mean, just go look up how many Google projects were perfected when the software engineers were given FREE TIME! :O

[creoloko]

nice

[fiedelmina]

the sabbatical is a really nice idea i want to take one - but who will pay me...??

[alvarez4500]

@fiedelmina some companies apparently do paid sabbaticals

[fiedelmina]

@alvarez4500: Yes. If i'd work for a big company with a lot of staff and which is nice enough to understand about the power of sabbatical, it would be no problem. Unfortunately i don't. Financially and structurally, it's not possible for my employer to fully replace me. Sabbaticals are for people in privileged work situations.

[AdmiraIBosch]

@fiedelmina You are some well spoken dude...

[fiedelmina]

@AdmiraIBosch erm... yeah well if "dude" applies to women, too ...? And btw i did get a 3 month sabbatical last summer and my employer payed for part of it :-)

[gregvillalobos]

This so inspired my wife and I we decided to follow in his footsteps, even if it was just a three month break. So far it's been amazing, only a few weeks left...

What would you give up? Follow our adventure at:

blogs.boldcreative.co.uk/alegr­ia/2010/09/16/what-would-you-g­ive-up/

[gregvillalobos]

This so inspired my wife and I we decided to follow in his footsteps, even if it was just a three month break. So far it's been amazing, only a few weeks left...

What would you give up?

[grina001]

I met this guy when he was at Agideas Melbourne last year. He is truly inspiring and a genuinely all round nice guy.

[mssharpie]

the reason this guy has problems with these wild dogs id b cuz they're obviously starving.he should have tried giving them some food.also,he needs more pr for his walking band of puppies carrying a lamp.i know people who would actually buy these.

[alvarez4500]

@mssharpie if you give the wild dogs food, the 2nd time they're obviously gonna come back again and again and it would be just as bad if he didn't

[RelmoDj]

my imagination is just sparling with ideas now.

[TheJakeDr]

Such an inspiration!!!!!!! Thank you

[cunnidvd]

Fantastic video. Thsi guy is very imaginative. The rescue of the coin sculpture by the police cracked me up. They obviously didn't get it.

[noirchat1]

interesant

[dugman1122]

My dog was peacefully sleeping beside me, but the last part, the laughing yoga guy, made him start barking his head off!! :)

[nicolemaras]

: )

[tkmjulricksen]

overpaid for what? arranging bananas and taking a picture of it, wow, that helps the world!!!!! jeeze, this is why the world is going the wrong direction!

[contemporarybeatnik]

actually, the world is headed in the wrong direction because people usually only pursue things that benefit their self interests rather than improving the life of the community by investing in the community's interesting. we're selfish.

bananas have nothing to do with it.

[demshaiashmed]

Hi, I love this TED's videos but I've only found a few with spanish subtitles... is there a site to see them with translation or subtitles?

Thanks

[retoraaasta]

He's Autrian like Schwarzi,...

Obssession makes my life WORSE and My work BETTER... Because Obsession is Madness!

[4muo]

He sounds like Arnold Shwartzanigga

[MidnightUndiscovery]

Epic ending.

[gnikhilg]

wonder how much he paid for the agricultural labor

[Cechas]

good work, good talk

[deprez2000]

davidchoi faved this.

[DerFlo4711]

Ithink the man is onto something, very appealing for the working class. Not so compelling for an employer.

[kriztufer2001]

the reason it's not very compelling for an employer is that the majority of employees already sit around doing nothing as much as they can, and only actually produce results when they absolutely have to. giving employees free time would be the death of most companies.

[P00P0STER0US]

Very effective work with that odd-shaped building. I think the idea was brilliant.

[kayaraiestiaiene]

wow i want to work for him

[adamredwine]

aaaaa.... did anyone else notice that several of those dogs are having sex? (4:18)

[hannahskm]

I couldn't agree more with the whole speech. I'm taking some time off to focus on creativity.. yes.. downside is the cash flow.. but... finding my passion as an artist in design has honestly saved my sanity!

[nestorrfortuna]

lunacy

[ArcaneKarma]

I like the way he uses media that bystanders find valuable. It's a way of achieving resolution. Not so keen on that building though...

[tomtrike]

Machst du eigentlich auch mal was neues? Immer nur mit dem alten Zeug hausieren gehen ist ja auch langweilig. Ich war mal ein grosser Fan von Dir, aber die Zeiten sind vorbei! Sorry! DeinVortrag in der FH Urstein war ja OK, aber bitte sei nicht so überheblich allen anderen gegenüber die in diesem Business arbeiten!

[ChillpointNews]

Damn, that logotype is so smart and very good looking.

[celshader]

OMG. How does he maintain a client base by closing for a year every 7 years?

[Swidhelm]

reputation for his work.

[LemonLimeLaughter]

pffffahahahaha, best ending, EVER!

Yeah, it is a shame that people do not live like this. Life should not be predominantly work.

[infinitum17]

well and good for the self-employed and independently wealthy, but not easy to do for most people. But for teachers, each summer can serve as such.

[owensew]

Not really... well not for all. I know a lot of teacher who must get another job over the summer to cover the "cost" of being a teacher. Great profession, shitty pay.

I know up north SOME get paid better, but in the south teachers are screwed over.

[fireman12888]

So true :/

[MaeveDobson]

I like the idea, I think it would work, but only in certain situations... sadly, most companies are both unable and unwilling to do such a thing. :-(

[kriztufer2001]

well, most companies employ large amounts of people whose jobs do not involve any sort of creative thinking. It's mostly just mindless work like number crunching and data input jobs. I agree though, that companies should give their R&D people more free time. Just not to their idiot employees.

[MaeveDobson]

Some of us are actually rather intelligent but are stuck in the 'idiot employees' category because the training that they have is not admissable in the company that they work for.

[kriztufer2001]

what job do you do?

[MaeveDobson]

I am a cashier and customer service rep for a company, and have been trapped in this brainless job for 2 years, despite being trained as a travel agent and Luxury Travel Specialist. I can make sales without an issue, but that isn't my job. my job is to stand at a cash, smile and scan things.

[kriztufer2001]

how exactly would free time help you with either your cashier/customer service job or with being a travel agent? i don't see how either of those jobs requires innovation and creative thinking. and that is essentially my point: companies do not need to give people like you free time, because all you would do is sit around with your thumb up your ass (no offense). you're not going to invent a new, more efficient cash register, or some new way to travel, so giving you free time is a waste of money

[MaeveDobson]

And see, people like you seem to be the idiots (no offense) that run companies and seem to think that just because you do one job that you are incapable of doing another. I don't know of anyone within any big corporation who actually NEEDS that kind of free time. If you can't do things on company time, then what are you doing but wasting the company's money? Give someone who is actually WILLING to come up with new ideas to do it.

[kriztufer2001]

do you know why i don't think people like you should be given free time? you are not in a creative job. you are not any sort of genius or you wouldn't be "trapped" working as a cashier. i am not saying that you can't come up with any good ideas, just that the probability of someone like you coming up with some important innovation is remote, at best. i think the idea of free time is a good idea only when applied to fields where creativity is a key role. sorry, but a monkey could do your job

[majinspy]

Wow you're a blatant asshole. People like you remind me why I left Ayn Rand in the dustbin and vote Democrat. I can't imagine you being an adult. You're most likely some straight A high school kid who resents the fact he is surrounded by moronic assholes and gets his/her aggressions out by being condescending to others.

There is inevitably a gaping insecurity wherever someone goes out of their way to be a condescending ass to another person.

[kriztufer2001]

there is inevitably some truth to what has been said whenever somebody gets as offended as you just have.

call me an asshole as much as you like, but you know i'm right. youare just one of the millions of stupid american workers who thinks he is mistreated and that you deserve a cookie just for showing up to work on time. the fact of the matter is, you are an affluent jackass with too much sense of entitlement.

[majinspy]

An alternate idea is I used to be like you and the penance this is the penance I've given myself. I have no doubt that the world COULD be as you describe it, but the majority of people don't want to put up with it.

It's actually good that people like you are as open and honest about how they really don't give a damn about people....it makes it easier for us liberals to care a little less when your taxes go up. (if you are indeed one of the elites you worship, however unlikely that is.)

[kriztufer2001]

that's the problem with liberals today. you are only concerned with getting free handouts instead of actually trying to help society. i am all for taxing the wealthy, but the problem is you people are just plain lazy, and instead of taking the benefits you receive and trying to put it back into the economy, you would instead hoard anything you can for yourself. the welfare system is a perfect example. instead of using welfare to get back on their feet, people just live off it forever

[majinspy]

You obviously have not lived in the real world at all. This myth of huge tracts of the country living with infinite welfare is nuts. The idea that the vast majority of people don't use what the government gives them is nuts. How many have used GI bills, pell grants, and low-interest loans to achieve heights in education? How many have used medicare and social security to live into old age with dignity? Pure intellectual theorizing punctuated by black and white thinking just isn't serious.

[kriztufer2001]

i am not talking about things like medicare and social security or federal student aid. these are all things i am in favor of. in fact, i agree with the idea of universal health care. I do not, however, agree with simply spreading the well for no reason other than that americans are lazy and stupid. fyi more than five million people are collecting welfare right now. this is a ridiculous number, and it's been that way since 1960. i think in less black and white terms than you

[lwanatt]

just got my government check cashed today, money for nothing rofl, idk why they do it but im not sending it back, makes me laugh every time i think about it, so dumb! but so sweet for lazy ass teenager me! i guess i do spend most of my time staying fairly productive, like 5 hrs of wikipedia a day, i will probably end up being a good investment but i dont think most other people in my situation will

[kriptonis]

that's the problem with some people, they don't see it so they immediately think it would be worthless.

For example, imagine what a stupid idea it would be, to open a site where users can upload videos, share comment and rate them, completely for free.

Well, up to 2005 no one saw it.

[kriztufer2001]

actually, people have been uploading video long before youtube was started. and also, youtube was not created as a byproduct of someone's free time at work. furthermore, innovation does not come from the average american worker who has mediocre intelligence and work ethic, at best.

[kriptonis]

no they weren't, and not for free.

It you are saying there was a similar service to youtube prior to 2005, you are just not aware of things.

You are quick to do bogus claims and false assertions about almost everything someone throws at you, I see.

Just the stereotype of the young kid that thinks he knows it all.

I could give you a decent argument as why free time could be valuable to any job. But what would be the point of that, right?

[kriztufer2001]

"no they weren't, andnot for free"

so which is it? were they not uploading or were they paying to upload?

for someone who likes to think he can know things about another person based solely on what they say, you sure are terrible at communication. fucktard

also, please explain how a telemarketer or someone working at an insurance company would be helped by being given free time. im dying to find out lol

[kriptonis]

as I said, I could instruct you, but I just like keeping you dumb.

But I'm happy to talk to you about say... soccer.

[kriztufer2001]

so you say something, i ask you to prove it, and then you cop-out, and that makes me dumb? lol please. my iq is 152, which im sure is well beyond yours, so we can leave the whole insulting each other's intelligence bit behind. now, if you're going to make a statement, be prepared to back it up with at least an explanation if not evidence, otherwise you are just going to make yourself look like a douchebag. btw the whole "you don't deserve and explanation" bit stopped working in grade school. FGT

[Tzadeck]

I haven't read whatever the argument you're having, but I thought mentioning your IQ also went out with grade school. I'm even pretty sure that it didn't work back then, much less now.

[kriztufer2001]

actually, mentioning my iq was not a red herring. it was directly pertinent to your statement that i was dumb. also, simply reiterating back to me whatever i say is childish and stupid. gtfo my internets noob

[Tzadeck]

I didn't call you dumb. Kriptonis did (I assume. Once again, I have no motivation to read your stupid argument). At any rate, all the thumbs down all over your comment pretty much confirm my sentiment that mentioning your IQ is childish. Bad call man.

[kriztufer2001]

i wasnt talking to you, faggot.

[Tzadeck]

Okay, but, just for the record, you ARE dumb.

[kriztufer2001]

okay, and just for the record, you do ass to mouth

[Tzadeck]

Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, it's forgivable to go ass to mouth.

[kriptonis]

My iq test result was 172, and my psychological profile was "word warrior". But I don't really care for those stupid tests. IQ tells nothing about a person.

I have red your comments, seen your profile and favourites, and decided I don't what to give you an explanation, because no matter what I say you will never admit I'm right. So as I said, what's the point? At your current state of mind, you actually believe a designer is more of a person than a cashier ... good luck with that.

[kriptonis]

IQ tests are meaningless. You can improve your iq about 30 points if you buy a book and practise for a while. Not to mention it's been proven there are several types of intelligence, so a value for your overall intelligence is worth nothing.

[kriztufer2001]

i don't think you are stupid. i simply think that it is asinine to state that someone is wrong and then to not explain why when you are challenged. your only response was to insult my intelligence and assert that i wouldn't change my mind no matter what evidence was presented to me. and by comparison, what you did is far more immature than anything i have said thus far. so again, if you'd like to explain to me how i am wrong, i'm all eyes.

[owensew]

IQ 172?  Have you read your own post?

[kriptonis]

Yes! What seems to be the problem?

[owensew]

I guess you have not read it.

[kriptonis]

Yes I have ... why you keep giving me thumbs down?

Not that I care, I'm just curious.

[owensew]

Funny part... I am not doing that. Others must agree. But proof reading should be a higher priority when claiming such IQ.

[kriptonis]

I know it's you. No one cares to read that comment.

I'm not claiming anything by the way, I simply took some IQ tests ... one of them was supervised.

But this is irrelevant. What's your point? What's wrong with my comment, I'm still waiting...

[owensew]

Really it is not me. That is what makes this even funnier.

I am now just having fun seeing how many times you will respond. I think at least once more.

And if you feel that I care what your IQ is then you have missed the point. :-)

[kriptonis]

it's really easy to answer to a youtube comment ...

[majinspy]

5 million people is 1.5 percent of our population. This isn't exactly the Roman dole.

Also you exhibit a great deal more black and white thinking than I do with your broad sweeping generalizations. I've never said all rich people are asshole thieves.

[alexbachmanov]

Truly, this video site you speak of has been one of civilization's greatest achievments

[owensew]

Happy employees are better. A happy cashier is a better one. That is my thought.

Plus you forgot analytical jobs. A person who seeks out issues or problem would need time off. Seeking problems requires creativity. I do understand that this line of thought does not pertain to the cashier, but it does to the whole.. It is another category of employment that went, according to my brief overview of comment, unsaid.

[FreshDebonair]

wtf.....

[AtheistdotEDU]

People are resentful of teacher summers, but really, they need it, and we all benefit from them having it. Which is not to say that other professions shouldn't have larger chunks of time off, too, and would be more productive as a result of it. I mean, there are some that REALLY don't need the time off in chunks. They need more time off in smaller bursts. We just need to agree on when. 4-day work week is probably ideal. The way it is now is artificially-imposed by industry's previous needs.

[drealm]

This only applies to the creme of the crop IE people whom are the elite that serve in elite industries and professions. There was a similar video done a while back by TED on how bonuses don't motivate good results in every field of work. I agree with the premise, but let's get real here we're talking about maybe 1% of the population who's good elite enough to benefit from these scenarios.

[Mhyque]

I don't know if I'd say only the elite would benefit. A lot of professionals would see a benefit through sabbatical. I know university professors are often encouraged to do so, and they are not exactly elite. I can see it also being useful for engineers and teachers as someone else mentioned.

I agree with you that it's not for everybody, but I also think it's for more than just the elite.

[canadianmaple09]

I wonder if Stefan Sagmeister is any relation to Carl Droopyballs or Johan Loosesack.

[contemporarybeatnik]

crude... but funny :)

[wolffenhaus]

people need to share work. we are overemployed and know too little of time management, job sharing and delegating.

[strandwolf]

Seems what is bothering you yokels is that this guy is a bit of a G E N I U S. So sorry for you....

[rosehurry]

fuck this guy stupid ass

[luticia]

Jeez,I have to switch off! So annoying listen to his aweful accent! I even can't understand him properly!

[contemporarybeatnik]

and how many languages other than english can you speak?

[luticia]

3 more languages

[contemporarybeatnik]

based on the ignorance of your previous comments, i highly doubt it. however, if you have any proof, bring it forward... and anyone can use babelfish to translate text, post a video showing your fluency in 4 languages. after all, Carl Sagan once said "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

[lvecsey]

We're too busy grinding our own demise.

[luticia]

Looked up: he's an Austrian *loool*

[luticia]

His pronounciation is aweful! Is he German?

[BlastBoddom]

it's a shame many people don't live by this