You work too much.
“But.”
You do.
“But I have to.”
Awww, says who?
“Well, you see, being a manager, I have a full plate.”
You always have a full plate.
“That’s why I have to work so much.”
Take a moment to reflect upon all of those 12-hour work days. You worked from dawn to dusk. For months. Or years. Recall that emotionally draining feeling at the end of those punishing marathons.
Kinda sucks.
Yeah.
I’ve been there.
Regardless of what’s driving you to work so much, you’re on the brink of burn out. Your wellness is at stake.
I get it. As a leader, you have a strong sense of ownership. You do whatever it takes to help your teams succeed. Here’s one OKR that you missed: Take care of yourself.
Sometimes, you gotta be a slacker.
Look at Snoopy. What a great role model for aspiring slackers. He’s chilling out on the roof of his doghouse. Maybe he’s dreaming about another dogfight against the Red Baron. Or he’s thinking of ways to antagonize Charlie Brown. He’s certainly not working. He’s taking care of himself.
“But, funky T-shirt guy, that’s a cartoon character.”
Behind great cartoons are great storytellers with a knack for creating characters who are relatable to everyone. That’s what I admire about Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip. Schulz filled his characters, such as Snoopy, with joy and wit, teaching kids very adult lessons through the story lines of his comics.
As we age into adulthood, we lose sight of gifts, such as our childlike joy, while we drive ourselves to achieve successes, often to the detriment of our well-being. In Snoopy, Schulz gave us a happy, imaginative little dog. As a character, Snoopy represents some of the qualities we need to be healthy, well-rounded people.
All work and no play, well, you know how that story ends. And nobody wants to be that miserable person.
“Good point. I’m ready for change, but I have that full plate, remember?”
Let’s work on reducing the load on your plate.
You have direct reports. Start delegating some of the tasks on your overloaded plate to the people who work for you. Not only will delegation reduce your workload, it will help your team members take on new responsibilities that may help them grow their own careers.
Okay. So your plate is lighter. What else is stopping you?
One of the mistakes I’ve made in the struggle to attain a work-life balance has been overlooking the importance of setting boundaries. For example, non-emergency work messages received after business hours can wait until the morning. Those routine messages add up, subtracting from the time you need to ensure your personal well-being.
You’ve been holding yourself back from achieving a work-life balance. Let go and slack your way to wellness. Take care of yourself.