I’ve been there, and I know how common it is among executives to thrive on business achievements; however, after a while, this catches up to them. Work fills up the majority of their life, and their bodies begin begging them for a bit of reprieve. So, how can we kick burnout, fuel creativity, and return to the role of a high-functioning, energized executive?
Self-care can be hard to prioritize, especially for many people struggling with their work-life balance. You’re not alone if your personal and professional boundaries have disintegrated over the past 18 or 20 months of “new normal.” Channel your inner productivity expert and learn our time management expert-approved tips to add self-care back into your team's lives.
There have been a lot of discussions lately about the future of the work environment. There seems to be a disconnect between what employers want, and what their employees need. Many employers want things to remain as they were. However, many employees are now looking for a schedule that offers more flexibility. One that allows them more time to work at home, after its proven success over the past couple of years.
Adapting to the rapidly changing structure of work caused many of us to get stuck in crisis management mode. Whether it’s responding to emails or requests, there has been a constant sense of urgency for many leaders. Unfortunately, this consistent pressure to always react quickly within every element of our work life is exhausting.
For many people, breaking away from the gravitational pull of work is extremely difficult. In fact, for the high-achievers among us, it may seem down right counterintuitive. In pursuit of work-place success, our personal lives are usually the first thing we sacrifice. But this puts us in a precarious position — when our work/life balance is off, our performance suffers, along with our happiness and motivation. We end up feeling overworked, exhausted, and depleted. And overtime, we begin to lose sight of the very reason we became so invested in our work in the first place. In order to truly “make it,” mastering your work/life balance is not just a nice-to-have, but a necessity.
For many years, the business world has been wrestling with the logistics surrounding the adoption of remote work and implementation of flexible work hours. Never did we foresee that a global pandemic would have us scrambling to uncover the answers to these questions, practically overnight. Without a clear roadmap to follow, many companies, individuals, and teams are struggling to navigate this dramatic change in circumstances. Daunting as the task at hand may be, the present situation provides a unique opportunity to find solutions to these age-old challenges. The key lies in creating functional systems and establishing a clear structure to your work week that facilitates productivity, while putting guard rails in place to protect your personal time and space.
In the old days, when leaders got involved with how their people worked, they were deemed micro-managers — the worst name in the book. But today, being an involved leader is essential to harnessing talent, particularly when managing a remote workforce. Lack of visibility can cause anxiety and uncertainty — for both managers and their direct reports — leading to over-work, wasted time, and missed opportunities. With less face-time, leaders must take a more active role in structuring the way their teams work.
Ginny loved her work. A vice president of marketing for an ad agency, in many ways her work defined her. Yet, Ginny’s passion for her work made her feel guilty. It took time away from her kids (7, 11 and 13) and often distracted her when they were together. She wondered constantly if she should put her goals and passion on hold, to be a better parent for her kids. This question — to work, or not to work — is emblematic of a struggle many parents face.
There is a weird contradiction between the image of the holidays as an all-relaxing, warm, and fuzzy time and the reality that, as we try to fit in all this yuletide joy, we still have our jobs, and all the standard routines of running our personal and family lives. This year, try these 5 holiday tips to do a little bit more with a little bit less!
