Image courtesy of flickr.com/photos/smemon
Careers nowadays not only keep us busy around the clock, but they seem to require continuous effort to sustain. We get the sense that we can’t get a break from it—and to break from it, even temporarily, even for a day, could cost us.
There’s a lot of job-gripping going on, perhaps, and we need to know when we’ve got our job in a stranglehold, or when it’s got US in one.
You might be in a stranglehold if…
- Your workday is nonstop. You don’t take more than 15 minutes for lunch (and that’s at your desk).
- You’re addicted to your Blackberry. It used to be that your smart phone gave you flexibility and more time to address concerns outside of work but now you find yourself constantly connected to your job.
- You feel guilty whenever you're NOT working. This is a high sign that it's taking over your life more than it should.
How to Break Free
- Build in breaks. When at work, set an alarm on your computer to alert you to take a break every hour, even to just stop and take a breath. Research cited in Running on Plenty at Work found if you work too long at mental tasks, the time you need to solve problems increases five fold.
- Do lunch. Make it a point to meet a friend or colleague for lunch once a month. Fight the urge to cancel last minute. Renewed energy and perspective come from taking yourself out of the daily grind once in a while.
- Give yourself a hard stop. If you can (at least on some days) make a pledge to cease working at a set time and stick to it. Consider taking your mobile phone number off of the bottom of your emails as well. This way you stop broadcasting 24/7 availability.
And remember…as Carl Sandberg said:
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”
Here’s to your time well spent!
Maggie Mistal is a certified career & life purpose coach and the host of "Making a Living with Maggie," which airs every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius 112, XM 157. Please visit her website at MaggieMistal.com.
From: Miriam Salpeter, Keppie Careers | 7/28/10 at 10:45 am
Excellent suggestions, Maggie! Particularly for those of us who really love what we do, it can be tough to disconnect and step away. It is important to remember, as you point out, that some down time and breaks are important to recharge and be able to approach our work with renewed energy and enthusiasm!
From: Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Executive Resume Writer | 7/30/10 at 8:46 am
Maggie,
I love the term 'job-gripping' because it's so vivid!
Unplugging at least once a week is KEY to my own sanity AND productivity. As you pointed out, if you work too long at mental tasks, the time to solve problems increases fivefold (wow, that's a lot!).
Easily, I have found my decision-making skills and career coping aptitude soar after having unplugged for even 24 hours (and admittedly, with my unplugging, I add a gentle or sometimes exciting sail at the lake). Sometimes, however, it's simply a day off lingering in conversation and laughter with old friends or strolling through a shop, finding visually stimulating and tactical reprieves from the drumbeat of technology.
Love this post, Maggie!
Thank you!
Jacqui (@ValueIntoWords on Twitter)
From: Maggie Mistal | 7/31/10 at 2:46 pm
Thanks for the comments Miriam and Jacqui! I have to say that even though I wrote the post, I still find it difficult to unplug. I too love what I do and can get caught up in it.
It's inspiring for me to hear you both reinforce how important it is to disconnect. Tomorrow I'm going to unplug from all electronics for the day and I'm equally scared and excited. Funny how that sounds.
But thanks for giving back the inspiration. I'll let you know how it goes!
From: Rosalind Joffe | 8/3/10 at 5:22 pm
Great reminders, Maggie. But what about those who work for others who don't want them to set limits on their time. How do they push back? I've got clients who struggle with that (they live with chronic illness and it's really a problem)and they fear losing their jobs. This makes me think about writing a post on this. It's certainly a pressing issue these days!
Rosalind Joffe
From: Maggie Mistal | 8/3/10 at 11:31 pm
Here you go!
Check out the results of my 24 hrs of no electronics experiment: http://wholelivingdaily.wholeliving.com/2010/08/3296.html#more-3296
Are you ready for the challenge?
From: Maggie Mistal | 8/6/10 at 7:49 pm
Thanks for the comment Rosalind. Your clients might be afraid of losing their jobs (so they don't want to push back) but my concern is that if they don't work effectively with their boss to set up a sustainable schedule, they'll just burn out and end up on disability or on sick leave or out of a job. None of these outcomes benefit the employer either. Pushing back implies that the boss and the employee are at odds but I don't see it that way. By putting yourself in your manager's shoes, having conversations with the boss about priorities and working with coworkers to share the load, the outcomes are much more productive than pushing back. I'd love to bring this conversation to my radio show!