A lot has been written about how to balance your work and life. Unless you’re independently wealthy, won the lottery or invested well and saved your money, you have to work. Your life is supposed to be all the other time you’re not at work. Somewhere is an invisible line separating the two parts of your life. A wall to keep one from creeping into the other.
Ha! You’d have to build a 12-foot wall to keep the work out of some people’s lives. Smart phones, laptops, IPads—all those fun electronic tools were supposed to get things done faster so we could get out of the office or out of the plant. Ha! We’re just tied to the job 24/7. The line is blurred and the walls comes tumbling down.
Man (or woman) does not live by work alone. If you recognize any of these signs, it’s time to take a good look at what’s important in your life and how to put your priorities straight.
1. It’s daylight savings time, and you’re driving home in the dark. In Savannah, during daylight savings time the sun goes down about 8:30 p.m. If you’re just leaving work at 8:35 p.m., you have stayed too long at the fair. Everyone has to work late once in awhile, but if it’s a habit, you need to take a course in time management, delegation and teamwork. Even the Lone Ranger had a faithful sidekick.
2. Your home looks like your office. The laptop is on the dining room table, or perched on your lap from after dinner until lights out. You’re texting and returning emails in bed. Everyone has to be quiet so you can take calls from your boss, or customers, or clients at any time of the day or night.
3. You’re in your office before the rest of the family wakes up in the morning. I know what it’s like to have an hour before everyone else gets into the office and the phones start ringing. Heaven! I also know how important it is to have breakfast with the kids before they go off to school or linger over a cup of coffee with my husband before he goes off to work. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder. It can cause resentment and loneliness.
4. You have accrued the maximumamount of paid leave with no vacation plans. I remember employees who used to stockpile vacation hours “just in case.” Others were just too busy to take any time off, and ended up losing vacation hours when they exceeded the maximum. Everyone needs to get away and relax with family and friends. Whether you go on a dream vacation or just hang out at home, you need to take advantage of paid-time-off to relax and recharge.
5. No more “weekends.” The work week used to end on Friday or the last day of your weekly work schedule. Now those days “off” are spent in the office or tied to the laptop at home. If you’re backing out of social events, family outings or just watching your favorite TV shows because you’re working, it’s time to log off and get back into life.
I don’t know of anyone who, on their deathbed, ever wished they had spent more time at work. Love your job and give it you’re all, but everyone has a life. Live it. Enjoy it and those around you. Your job and life will be better for it.
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