Me: So, you’re overwhelmed. Tell me about that.
Client: I got up this morning at four am because we have a big project due. I worked until six am, let the dogs out, and I’ve been working right here at my computer until our session started.
Me: That’s, let’s see, four am to seven pm, that’s fifteen hours?
Client: (shrugs) I have more to do when we hang up.
Man, when that client spoke those words, my heart broke. I knew exactly how they felt. If you’re struggling with workload, like my client was, the idea of leaving on time probably leaves you with a lot of “yeah, buts…”
- Yeah, Lady, but I can’t just stop. All this work will crash and burn.
- Yeah, but, you don’t understand the expectations at ABC XYZ Corp.
- Yeah, but, I’m in the middle of a major corporate project with huge visibility
I’m using my Saturday to write this blog and let you know… There is hope…
Let’s tackle those objections right now.
Last week, I tackled the 5 steps to unplug in my blog, which include planning ahead and letting your manager in on your intention.
Tackling the inability to disengage is the first step in my Reboot Your Day Job program. Coaching gives you a safe place to work with someone who can help you “try on” new ways of approaching old challenges.
Although the corporate world can and should help us – by providing flexible schedules, transparent conversations about resourcing and prioritization, allowing people the freedom to determine how and when they work, supporting meeting reduction policies, and looking for ways to reduce the email / IM chatter load on knowledge workers…there’s still a lot you can do, right in your own chair, while you wait for that utopian moment.
So – why aren’t we throwing down our mice and logging off?
Workload and Culture.
At first glance, they seem like likely culprits. After all, most of us have some loose definitions of the two that look something like this:
WORKLOAD: The never-ending avalanche of requests, demands, emails, interruptions, projects, emergencies, reactivity, and problems ….. supplemented with training, upskilling, the need to understand new technology and our jobs, and our business partner’s job so we can add value and find big ideas…topped off with a dollop of ERG’s, clubs, and engagement activities so we can support our colleagues, share the joy of STEM, work toward social good, combined with expectations that we will soon be networking and innovating -possibly in a building, after packing a lunch and commuting.
CULTURE: What you see everyone around you doing, what you hear your colleagues saying, what you believe is expected behavior, and what you imagine is required of you to fit in and succeed in your company.
Those are some pretty strong headwinds
I mean, all that AND I have to wear pants? What happens to all that work and all those expectations when we unplug? Not what you think.
I’ve walked clients through this over and over. Here is what doesn’t happen:
- They don’t get fired.
- They don’t fail to deliver on the big project.
- They don’t stagnate and they don’t lose credibility.
Not one. Not one single client.
Why? Here’s what you don’t see when you’re stuck in overwork.
(I’ve included links to prior blogs for a deeper dive… you’re welcome!)
- Overwork leads to diminishing returns.
- Ever-expanding time for a task limits creative solutions.
- Trying to do everything hampers healthy reprioritization
- Working yourself to exhaustion masks issues that should be exposed
Every manager, everywhere, has said “Find a way to get it done.” No manager, anywhere, meant “Work until you drop.” when they said it. Why? Because of all the negatives that overwork creates… see the list above.
So what does happen when you unplug? Well, I hate to say it… but you wind up dealing with some pretty uncomfortable things… which is why… unplugging isn’t easy.
The two reasons why clients fail to unplug.
The number one reason why people don’t succeed when they try to unplug is fear: fear of what will happen to their projects, fear of what other people will think of them. This fear prevents them from even trying to unplug. I could cry when I think of it. What a shame!
What people don’t seem to be afraid of is the lost opportunity costs of overwork, missing out on creative solutions, missing out on collaborative opportunities, restricting other people’s growth, and reinforcing a culture of endurance and overload. All of which are the direct result of overwork – for you and your company.
The second reason is discomfort – it feels WEIRD to leave on time. It feels WRONG to not be at work while the sun is out. It feels UNCOMFORTABLE to ignore those little pings and dings, emails and IM’s. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that we don’t like difficult emotions. Difficult emotions drive people back to overworking before they can see the benefits and find ways to overcome those feelings.
Oh, you thought that grief and abject despair were the only difficult emotions?
Wake up and smell the coffee, my friends. We humans also don’t like – boredom, being fidgety, mild anxiety, discouragement, confusion, uncertainty, and about a million other emotions that don’t require a divorce or a death in the family. That includes that little bit of uncertainty you feel when you’ve been away from your email for an hour. Cal Newport discusses this in his book Digital Minimalism. I’ve blogged about it here: Learning to Carve.
So, what’s the answer?
The answer is… follow the five steps I gave you last week. Clients never believe that this can work. Heck, I didn’t believe it until I tried it. That’s why I recommend a two-week experiment. That’s enough time to overcome discomfort and see real benefits. That’s enough time to start taking the actions that leaving on time forces you to take – thinking big picture, finding creative solutions, turning to others for help and inspiration – and it’s enough time to expose the problems your overwork has been masking. Two weeks is also short enough that the whole world of work won’t collapse if I’m wrong (which I am not.)
And that? Is just the only way to find out for yourself.
If all of this is just a bridge too far for you, I get it. I really get it. I needed a coach to help me get my overwork under control. I’d like to help you too. Click here to sign up for a free 25-minute session... no hard sell, just empathy in spades and real tools you can use.