Let's discuss the rush of starting a new job - the challenge, the opportunity, the drive, and the sensation of climbing the career Everest. However, soon enough, the reality sets in.
Suddenly, my days look like this:
The pre-dawn scramble (6:00 AM): The alarm screams, but I barely register it as I fumble for my phone. Eyes glued half-shut, I dive into a sea of emails, desperately searching for any late-night bombshells from colleagues in other timezones that might derail my meticulously planned morning meetings.
Global huddle hustle (6:30 AM): Bleary-eyed and (hopefully) caffeinated, I join the early morning call with my global team. Status updates are exchanged, all while I'm frantically gathering any relevant info for later project meetings.
The neverending morning (7:30 AM - 11:00 AM): The next few hours are a whirlwind. Reviewing updated materials, chasing down missing info with endless phone calls, realizing I need to invite more people to the already overflowing alignment call – it's enough to make your head spin. A quick outfit check (work-appropriate, obviously) gets squeezed in somewhere between meetings, because who wants to look like they rolled out of bed for an 8 AM team update?
The fire drill (11:00 AM): A quick check-in with my boss and the sales team – standard procedure. But then, emails pile up, phones start ringing, and a curveball is thrown. This is where my morning "work" actually gets done, squeezed in between putting out fires.
So when does the day end? By 11AM, I'm already questioning whether I'll have time for a nap in the afternoon (obviously not...) Has it even been a full day yet? And don't even get me started on the concept of breakfast. The working hours continue until my actual timezone clock off, where I get dinner, hope to do a work out, and then get back to the outstanding work before bedtime... whenever that is.
This was my life for weeks, and honestly, sleep became a distant memory, and blood pressure was probably off the charts...
But here's the thing: I love working hard, to an extent. Those intense bursts of activity can be motivating, a true "get things done" feeling. But there has to be an end in sight to avoid burnout. The highs and lows of a workweek keep things interesting, but in this latest stint, I was stuck on Everest without a Sherpa.
I know I'm not alone in this crazy work schedule; many professionals battle the long hours and work life balance challenge, and it's something needs to be managed both from a company perspective and with individual responsibility. Before anyone suggests that I'm glorifying this hustle, I am absolutely not, but I'm just relaying a very typical scenario many professionals can find themselves in when high pressure work becomes unsustainable.
In my case, in order to not collapse in a heap, I figured out a few coping strategies that helped me get through:
Block and Conquer
My calendar has become my best friend (and probably needs therapy by now...) Colour-coded chaos? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely! I block out specific times for workouts, even if it's just a quick sweat session or walk on the treadmill. Treat it like any other meeting – non-negotiable (although I was not the best at keeping this, I still tried!) My body and mind thank me later.
Schedule the Fun!
Yes, you read that right. As a social person, there is nothing more that energizes me than getting out, interacting with people, enjoying life. Socializing might seem counterintuitive in a busy schedule, but trust me, forcing myself to pencil in minuscule amounts of time with friends was a lifesaver, even if it was for a quick glass of wine, an afternoon coffee catch up, to give me the R&R to come back home to tackle the outstanding work for the rest of the evening.
Delegate, delegate, delegate
Okay, this one was a tough pill to swallow. High achievers tend to wear all the hats. But guess what? Companies have teams for a reason and learning to delegate and trust my amazing colleagues has been a game-changer. I'm still learning just what everyones superpowers are, but I feel far better set up for the next intense period that comes along.
The Power of Support
Let's face it, even the most awesome career can't thrive in a vacuum. I'm lucky to have a small but effective support system. My partner keeps me fueled with coffee, stealthily bringing me a regular supply in the background of those crazy morning meetings from home, and encourages me to go to the gym, or entertains a walk around the block at 8:30PM just so I can get out of the house. And I have girlfriends who understood that I literally only had 1 hour to catch up and it needed to be conveniently located - sorry for being so demanding, but I'm so grateful for the little bit of R&R to get me through! My advice is to keep your support people informed of your schedule and be honest with what you need, and they will be there to support where they can - don't be afraid to accept help!
Reward yourself with some relaxation
After reaching your milestone or deadline, take the day off, or at least have a relaxed day at work. I felt extremely tired after meeting my latest project deadline, so I needed a day to allow my brain and body to recuperate (seriously, I felt like my brain was mush!) A day off and a good night's sleep was just what the doctor ordered.
Striking a work-life balance can be challenging, and I hope that the high intensity working life becomes a smaller part of my job with time. My coping strategies are not flawless, but I am focusing on setting boundaries, improving time management, and anticipating problems to reduce the number of crises that need to be addressed... I hope!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on work life balance, and how you make it work for you! Leave a comment or contact me as I'm always curious how others manage too!
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