It used to be easy to actually separate work and life from each other.
After you finished work you would start your personal time. Now, I really don’t know how to differentiate the two of them. I find myself at soccer games with my Blackberry in hand, and when my daughter isn’t playing then my Blackberry is in my face or my thumbs are busy working the keypad.
I hear a lot of people saying that technology has changed our lives, and that technology has increased the blur between work and personal time. I don’t think that is true. I think that the pace of business, and of life in general, has dramatically increased.
Do you remember back many years ago when you didn’t have back-to-back meetings all day long? What did we do with our time back then?
As a manager, I remember spending more time walking around and talking with employees or peers.
Is the blurring between work and personal time bad? I think it depends on what each person needs. For those that find they don’t handle this blurring very well then they should set clear boundaries for themselves so that they get the personal time that they need. I found an article outlining strategies towards getting your priorities straight on WebMD, and I found a website that has some interesting classes http://www.worklifebalance.com.
For a variety of reasons, some people can better handle the blurring of work and personal time. For me, I have gravitated towards doing things in conditions where work can’t find me. I didn’t really do this on purpose, but I think one of the reason I like to cycle, run, fly-fish, backpack, and camp is that generally, the Blackberry doesn’t work in those environments, at least not yet.
What are some of the tricks you use to create work/life balance?
Scott, We are on the same page here. The devices do not get to the woods or trails yet. I also fing that rising early to get in my “quiet time” with God, gives me a balance and priority set for the remainder of each day. As one of those associates that benefitted greatly from your time with employees, I congratulate you on this blog spot and your ability to “Walk the Talk”!
I gave up employment to go self-employed 19 months ago. The main reason? No work-life balance. From the original job description of 1 1/2 pages when I started, in 2 years it had become 4 pages. My ‘to do list’ grew daily and I couldn’t even tick one thing off a day. I had about 80 emails a day and the majority needed actioning, back-to-back meetings for meetings sake which I was ‘required’ to attend, and I worked all day, evening and weekends. I wasn’t a ‘yes’ person and so I did say ‘no’ and challenge things but in a large organisation I was often powerless to influence or change happened extremely slowly even once I got agreement for change. Before my sanity left me and my children forgot who I was I stepped off the treadmill overnight. I now work long hours but I don’t have an unachievable workload, my ‘to do’ list is less than a page, I spend time with my boys and my sanity has returned – although not my memory but that could be just age! It’s not just technology that has had an impact. We expect things today/now and no longer accept time delays as technology has facilitated quick response time. We need to cut costs so we keep manpower to a minimum and I don’t come across any manager who doesn’t have more than is reasonable for a workload. Employers expectations are high as competition is often global and we have to compete on price, quality and service. So managers and staff have to work harder for longer and produce results against unrealistic expectations. Employers still don’t recognise stress or manage it and take responsibility for it – they don’t understand it, they are living with it themselves and they can’t afford to buy-in that extra person to reduce the pressures. We want it now, our customers want it now, our staff want it now, and so we continue to behave like hamsters in a wheel, racing against time and often getting nowhere. In the end I think we sometimes have to just think about ‘number one’ and decide if we want to and can cope with living with the unrealistic and unhealthy expectations of others. I took the decision that my family and my health deserved more and now I work long hours out of choice, to earn enough to live and to live a fuller life with my children. But it’s a risk and who knows if my business will survive long-term but that’s the only stress I have compared to pressure from boss, staff, the organisation, customers, family, etc – it’s working for me and long may it continue.
Jill, Your reply paints a picture that I think many in the corporate world have experienced, and unfortunately many still are experiencing. I have coutless friends and colleagues have left corporate for the similar reasons that you did. Good luck with your business!
Scott
Suggested reading “The Age of Speed” by Vince Poscente
I, personally welcome the blur. It allows me to get a lot done in all of my life. To attend kid functions and still not be totally out of touch (screening calls, and using assistants to text message). I find I can turn it off when I need, but 5 am emails are alright with me. I get to enjoy a quiet home and am already perky when the kids and hubby get up for breakfast! Speed becomes me…and I do make sure to unwind. I think my greatest balance challenge this year is about making time for physical excercise…I have become all brains (ja ja)!