By Joe Buzzello, guest blogger
It’s not uncommon in our world to applaud workaholics and hold them up as heroes. You’ve seen this type of highly charged entrepreneur or independent salesperson. They race around, cantankerously announcing that they are exhausted, so busy, swamped, slammed. They’ll tell you there isn’t enough time to get everything done. They think they’re successful, you think they’re successful, and they definitely seem prosperous to the world. But, if you think about it, that really doesn’t make much sense.
You can only TRULY be successful if you actually stop to reap the benefits of your hard work.
Look, I’m probably the last one that should point fingers. I worked 60 – 70 hours a week for close to two decades, never taking a true vacation. A cell phone or beeper was always strapped to my side. When I began to take stock of my life, I realized that I had not taken a vacation longer than 7 days since I’d begun my career in 1979. I’m not sure I was completely present to my wife and daughter during my go-go years. I still struggle with that now, even in semi-retirement.
As I have slowed a bit and crossed the line to joined the 50+ Club, I’ve started to look at things a little bit differently. I value my time more and place emphasis on the things that are really important to me. I’m not suggesting you lessen your commitment to your employer or the organization(s) you are part of. I’m simply suggesting that it may be possible for you to strike more balance in your work and personal life. This, in turn, will improve your work performance.
Instead of working harder, I recommend you learn to work smarter. Here are some thoughts on the VALUE of your time:
More Clarity/Better Judgment
My experience tells me that when I slow down on the weekend, shut off my brain for a few hours and do something fun, I’m able to develop more clarity about business issues. I find that when I take the time to reboot, I am able to make better decisions and find solutions on Monday morning.
Sunday Night LIVE
I started taking some focused planning time on Friday afternoon to look ahead to the next week and get my calendar wired. However, my big calendar checkpoint transpired on Sunday night. I would spend 15 – 20 minutes looking at my calendar, making sure I knew where I was going, what I was going to focus on. I made sure that I knew what my top 3 priorities were for the week and those items were INKED in my calendar.
Round Yourself Out
Most hard-charging entrepreneurs understand that passion is a vital element to becoming successful. It’s also important to follow your passions outside of work. Use your weekend to explore your creative side. The activity doesn’t really matter. What’s important is to take a break. These non-work related pursuits will make you happier and a better rounded person. This is another way to re-boot.
Maybe You Should Unplug?
Technology has made it difficult for us to unplug. One small step you can take is to keep your devices out of your hands and in a drawer on the weekends, at least for longer blocks of time. If you think about it, most of us aren’t saving lives. A patient isn’t going to die if we miss a call or email. Everything will still be there when you get back to work.
Functional Family
If you gain wealth, recognition, stature and power and then you lose your family what have you really gained? You work hard because you want to give yourself and your family the best of everything. Sometimes the biggest sacrifice you’ll have to make is spending limited time with your love ones. Use the weekends to spend time with them. Take time out to get together with friends and socialize. Success means nothing if you’re not able to share it with people that you love.
The Hourglass
I have a small hourglass on the bookcase in my home office. Once in a while I’ll turn it upside down. I simply watch it as the sands drop through the small hole, at first slowly and then, at the end, the sand seems to drop faster. Then, the hourglass is still. There is no more sand, no more time. The small hourglass is my reminder that time well spent with loved ones, doing the things that put a smile on our face, not just the pursuit of money or recognition is by far the most valuable commodity we have. As the old saying goes you don’t hear a person on their deathbed say, “I wish I could go into my office just one more Saturday and clean up some files.” What they wish they could do is have one more week…heck, maybe just one more day with the people they love, doing the things with them that were fulfilling.
