A LinkedIn post by Jonathan Frostick went viral last month.
In it, the program manager for HSBC told the story of having a heart attack on a Sunday afternoon while preparing for his upcoming workweek.
As he fell to the floor, the first thought that went through his head was:
"F–k I needed to meet with my manager tomorrow, this isn’t convenient;"
Followed by:
"How do I secure the funding for X (work stuff)".
Lying in his hospital bed days later, he wrote the viral post and declared that he wouldn't be spending 12 hours a day on Zoom anymore and he would change his workaholic ways, which got worst during the pandemic when he started working even longer hours than usual at home.
It reminded me of something I heard last spring, as lockdowns started happening around the world.
At that time, employers worried about "time theft" - employees taking advantage of their companies and lying on the couch watching Netflix all day instead of working.
A year later, we see that the results have been the exact opposite: employees are working 2.5 hours *more* per day since the lines between work and home are now blurred, and a lot of bosses are expecting them to be on call every waking hour.
I can empathize with Mr. Frostick, because I have struggled with workaholism too.
In my past life, it was normal for me to work 100+ hours every week and essentially be on call 24/7.
I had a phone to my ear with peers and clients all the time, back when people actually used their phones to talk.
But with my coaching business I've gotten much better at balancing things.
No, I won't ever have the magical 4-hour workweek (and frankly I'd go nuts working just 4 hours a week), but I do what I have to do and then I enjoy my personal and family time.
My plan?
I work when I'm supposed to be working, and I play when I'm supposed to be playing.
No blurred lines.
I've been able to achieve this balance by using something I call the "3 Pillars Strategy", and I'll be going over it in a live training that I'm doing in a few days.
It's happening on Wednesday, June 2nd at 2 pm EST and if you'd like more control of your coaching business you can save your seat for it here:
Marc Mawhinney