Key Point: 
The title of this blog refers to a book recently written by Julie Holland M.D. The book opens up with: “Women today are overworked and exhausted.” One of the book’s most popular chapters is reportedly: “You. Need. Downtime.”
I think it’s fair to say that someone could write a book with the title “Crabby Bastards” focusing on men, and from what I’m sensing, in the world of work, it could also start with: “Men today are overworked and exhausted.” I also believe one of the most popular chapters of this fictitious book could be: “You. Need. Downtime.”
In a very short period of time, perhaps less than a decade, we have seen a violent increase in personal demands in work/life in the western world. Concepts like “time management,” “work/life balance,” “separating work from home,” “two week annual summer vacations,” “nine to five,” are frankly not very relevant or helpful. And we know that change, which of course is a constant, will only continue to speed up.
Perhaps what’s just as important will be the severity of changes. And institutions are not likely to help us with stress relief. Workplaces will be more 24/7, technology will not slow down, competition will not decrease, and legislation (like more statutory holiday time) is not likely to occur. Obviously there will be NO more time available and statements like, “I don’t have time,” will become more unacceptable and even considered “lame.” We all have the same amount of time and the point is whether we choose to make time available or not. Productivity and creating happiness will be exclusively ours. And this is a wonderful thing. Personal autonomy and control are vital for personal freedom, and the basis for mental and emotional wellness. I’m not foolish enough to say that we will have the total freedom to choose what, when and how we work. However, I am sure we will be able to choose our perspective better, and it will be up to us to personally determine and decide whether we want to be “overworked and exhausted.”
Character Moves:
1. Learn how to refuel… Daily… Perhaps hourly. Few of us are able to be effective at managing our exhausted levels (energy) by refueling just on weekends, days off, and vacations. Yes, those breaks remain important. But what is every bit as important is to learn techniques to help refuel all the time. Science is showing us the way. The reason we’re seeing people at work drinking more water, eating healthier, doing daily mediation, applying centering/breathing techniques, taking walking meetings, even having naps at work, etc. is not just trendy “hippy” type stuff. It’s because we need to refuel or we will fail. Think of a pit stop during any race… Take poor pit stops, and you lose. Recommendation: Read Peter Bregman’s Four Seconds.
2. Invest more in personal relationships. Perhaps the most important energy investment and creation comes from being around people we care for, and who deeply care for us. This may be so obvious. However in the stress inducing environment we live in, the tendency might be to become more reclusive and alone, hanging out more with a pet and Facebook. We need each other. Counterintuitively, perhaps but the more we give to each other, the less exhausted and overwhelmed we feel. For a guy who likes to come home, work out in front of Netflix, and avoid connecting as much as I need… Well I must get off the couch and love more.
R (refuel) and R (relationships) in The Triangle,
Lorne
One Millennial View: We seem to have the understanding that work is pervasive and something like that annual “two week vacation” is a myth we saw in a movie from the ’80’s. To me, that’s ok. Instead, the focus has changed to being completely passionate about what I do, who I work for, and what I’m contributing to. Sure, we all need our down time, but when people explain that they “love their jobs” and truly mean it, how much of a perfect “vacation” does that sound like? Let’s all aim for that.
– Garrett
Edited and published by Garrett Rubis