It’s all about learning to not work
Published by on August 22nd, 2008 3 Comments »
Where work is concerned, I am pretty self disciplined to get on with it and get things done (ADD-related issues aside). It’s a good thing, this self discipline. But if permitted too much free reign, it completely skews the work-life balance.
Old habits
Getting going in the morning is easy: do everything I can to physically start work before 9 a.m. That sets me up for the day.
The problem comes when one’s colleagues are, for the most part, based in San Francisco – 8 hours behind. Just when my mind is thinking that the day should be winding down from around 5pm, is just the time when theirs is starting. Emails flood in. Calls, conferences, meetings start. Amongst these I need to slot in a little down-time for dinner (there’s little worse for the concentration than a grumbling tum). Then back to the desk to deal with urgent requests. The result? A working day that lasts from pre 9 a.m., to frequently post 10 p.m.
Filling the time
The old adage that work expands to fill the available time is utterly true. With the expectation of that kicking into a high gear in the early evening, my days have slipped into the lower-gears, resulting in what could be squeezed into an 8 hour day, expanding into 10-12 hours. Everything other than work gets stuffed to one side, people are neglected, and the simple pleasures in life slip onto the fateful “someday” list.
It’s a year of action, so let’s have some
So here we have what looks remarkably like another excuse for active change this year. From this week I have properly shifted my working day, which now begins at 11 a.m., and aims to end around 7 p.m. I have much less control of the end time, but complete control over the start, which gives me a couple of hours (at least) in the morning to insert whatever non work tasks need doing. In addition, time out is actively scheduled in advance, so that it has a better chance of sticking.
Can I stick with it and break the years of self-programming forcing me to start work before 9 a.m.? Time only will tell and it’s only the third day of the new regime. I did find myself answering work emails early this morning, having sent two before noticing the autopilot and immediately closing down mail. It’s daft, the people I am responding to are asleep and are not likely to see the emails for another 8 hours! Messages of encouragement welcomed…
3 Responses to “It’s all about learning to not work”
Well you know you have my support!
I hate to see you worn down, burnt out, and unhappy, and I’ve seen far too much of that lately. I’ll do everything I can around here to help you re-balance and regain your life. (And expect the odd kick in the pants if you slip back into old habits!)
Welcome to my world Neil
Add to the malaise that west coasters ‘forget’ the time difference. I find that scheduling dinner time with the girls early in the day makes the scheduled break much more enjoyable. Of course they are thus beholden to my schedule, but that’s what family is all about. Oh, and of course weekends are now holy. No work. Except No Agenda, but that’s really a hobby….
sending beams of encouragement your way…
short periods of focused imbalance are sometimes necessary, but take my word as someone who has learned the hard way – one must MAKE TIME for the things that are most important – family, friends, personal renewal and the really significant work activities
it’s very easy to get caught up in the “thick of thin things”
good for you that you’re taking steps to control your own time