Work Life Balance
There are times, when I wonder if I’ve failed at balancing my work and social life.
It’s not about whether you spend the hours being with friends, or out of the office. It’s about spending time away from work.
As it is, when I reply to work emails on a weekend, I am as equally guilty as those who send it out over the two days of rest that’s supposed to be devoid of work.
Question is, should I not reply to those emails? Yes. But can I? No. Why? Because if I do, it feels like I am relegating my responsibilities. In doing so, I might find myself being placed lower on the corporate ladder.
Ah, the corporate ladder. These are the times, when I miss my freelancing days, when I take jobs because I want to, not because I have to. Well, that’s 90% true. There are days when I have to take jobs for the money. Regardless, I did not have to worry about performing in the midst of competition.
One particular statement from my interview 4 years ago has always been stuck in my mind, “Do you mind internal competition?” Even though I answered no, deep down, and I’m sure it holds true for everyone in this world, the sub-conscious answer is yes.
I absolutely relate to what you’re saying here. I worked on a political campaign where emails would fly every day of the week and all hours of the day. Work-life balance became so skewed that not answering an email within 10 minutes would cause people to ask “where ARE you?!” Now that I’ve left and started my own business I have much more control, but still find it tempting to working on the weekends.
Hi Stephanie,
That is so true. But when it comes to being your own boss, I’m sure that working on weekends has become the norm too. The difference is, you are doing it not to prove your worth over others, but because you want to.
Cheers!