Aug 6

In the Office: I need work-life balance

Q.  I enjoy my job but currently work 60-80 hours a week so I decided to give my notice for better work-life balance.  The problem is the opportunities that interest me are high-level and I can’t imagine they would require less hours, but that’s not sustainable for me.  What can I do?

A.  Great question! Simply because you can’t imagine a high-level job that requires less hours doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist.  What would it take for you to believe it does exist?  Below are some suggestions to help you see a different perspective and have a different approach once you find it.

Mindset:  Since most of us start working as teenagers for an hourly wage it easy to subconsciously associate value with time.  However value is what you bring to a company, not how many hours you work.  Therefore it will be vital for you to consider your mindset around your value.  Below are some questions to help you (re)discover your value:

• What were some of the reasons you were hired over everyone else?
• What special gifts or unique experience do you offer?
• What benefits do you provide as a teammate?
• What is different about your approach to the job?

Once you are clear on your own value it will be easier to showcase it in your new role rather than proving yourself by working an unhealthy amount of hours.

Create Results:  Decide what you want in advance.  Often we base the future on what we know instead of what we want.  Be as clear as possible about the type of work environment you want (including hours, salary, culture, etc.) and write it down. Since your brain has two jobs: to answer your questions and prove you right, your brain will begin to look for your ideal instead of searching based on what it knows.

Set Boundaries:  Set your ideal schedule before beginning a new position and guard your time.  Often when people work long hours for many years the brain goes into “fight or flight” mode thinking it needs to fight all the time, stress chemicals are continuously released in your brain, and you begin to believe that’s your “normal.”  Without a commitment to yourself and setting boundaries, you will easily revert back to your current grueling schedule regardless of where you go.

Life Experience:  It is unnatural to work 60-80 hours per week.  You have to determine the standards for your life experience.  Make a list of the things that are important to you outside work and how often you want to experience them – then schedule it.  Make time for you as important as the time you schedule with people in the office.  After all, you cannot give the best of yourself if you are depleted physically and emotionally.

Change your mindset to believe a job with your ideal hours exists, create results by clearly searching for what you want, set boundaries once you get there, and create your life experience NOW because you only have once chance to live your life your way.

Laura Treonze, serves as Chief Life Strategist with LMT Consulting, which helps executives and teams create massive success through self-awareness. Her life-changing approach has transformed individuals and families and has redefined the way non-profits and corporations “do” business.