In my interview for an article about work/life balance, I focused on the topic from the perspective a new or aspiring manager of project who is trying to get ahead simultaneously.
Balance by oedipusphinx via Flickr
I was once an operations manager and took my job home almost every day. I can recall a date with my wife where I took my laptop with me to remote restart a card in a base station that was acting strangely. This is not a good balance between work and life.
I was always on my cell phone and tied myself to work even though I didn’t really need it. It was cultural. It was my job. After this particular role, my wife and me re-evaluated the paradigm of an always-on culture, always accessible at a moment’s notice.
Since then, I have a rule.
I only work 45 hours per week unless there is an emergency. These are some of the changes that I made to make my rule more practical.
1. Eliminate multitasking as much as possible. 2. Increase your Results-per Hour (RPH). You can accomplish more in 45 hours than it would normally take you to complete in 60 hours.
Do you think I have written about this before? Let’s look ….yes, I believe I have. There are four things I hate: multitasking …..and multitasking.
You can turn off email notifications and still check your email at the scheduled times. What time do you check your email during the day? Use a system that will keep your email in order and not waste your time.
2 – Make your meetings more effective – How long do you spend in meetings each week? What if you could cut down on that time by 75%, or even half it, and still be involved in the important things? If they are willing to work hard, many professionals could achieve this feat.
3 – Empower your staff – If you want to have too much control over your team and make decisions, they will be forced to trust you more than necessary. Your team will be more committed to the project if you empower them. You also have the benefit of being able to free up your time.
4 – Establish healthy boundaries – I was once interviewed for a job where the hiring manager stated (and I quote) that “We expect you not to work less than 50 hours per week.” No mention of output …? I was offered the job but declined.
Your boss may expect you to work just for the sake of it or not respect your time off. It might be time to have a hard conversation with your boss and establish some boundaries. If you are not at work, it is unacceptable for you to be called. (Note:? It may take some time and convincing to change the environment you are currently in.
5 – Don’t “keep up with the Joneses” at work.
Working 80 hours per week in some organizations is considered a badge of honor. For me, not at all.
It’s odd, but I have noticed that many people who spend so much time (and ‘complain about it’ at the water cooler regularly) seem to be engaged in a lot of chit-chat at work and not focused on their work. I wonder if they really are producing 80 hours worth value. I wonder how long they can keep it going…
Psssst…? Do you know what your work laptop is for? You know what your work laptop is for? Travel.
You don’t have to take your laptop with you every night. While there are times when I do take my laptop home, most of the time it stays docked on my desk. Most of the time, it is winter when I fear I might be working from home due to a snowstorm.
You can now focus on volunteering in new areas to help your career. It’s possible to volunteer an hour each day if you have cut down on 15 hours per week, but still get the same results.
Comment below with your thoughts and ideas!
