Quieting the Grind
When I'm in the zone (which my family can attest is far too often), it's hard to get my attention. But there are also people who let themselves get distracted way too much and don't put in the time to do their job well. And folks who are just phoning it in because it's just a job. Let's take a look at what we're being told and what we know is true.
Finding Balance in a Busy World
There are some loud voices out there right now and it seems like as workers we're rapidly being divided into two camps. On one side is the grind, telling us that 24/7 productivity and availability are the only way to succeed. On the other side is the quiet quitters, coasting by with the minimum effort required. But nothing is ever that simple. Let's look at how to find the work style that works best for us.
The Grind Mindset
This is hustle culture, telling us we need to be up at 5, working by 6 (at the latest), and spending our evenings answering email, networking, and taking on side projects. There's some appeal here, especially given the crazy cost of living. But when work dominates our lives, it also leaves us feeling burned out and unable to perform at our peak at work OR in our personal lives.
The Quiet Quitting Quest
The other side of the equation is people who are supposedly just trying to not get fired. They roll in at 9 and punch out at 5 no matter what their workload looks like. That can leave work piling up, causes issues that spread to others who have to cover for them, and ultimately causes damage in a different way.
So, what do we do? How do we avoid these extremes? Here are a few ideas.
Triage your work
As you get a new task and add it to your list -- whether you use productivity software or not -- you should assign it a priority, from "must be done today" to "whenever I have the time." When it's time to go home (or "leave" the dining room table), don't stick around for lesser tasks that can wait. Also, take a note from the "quiet quitter" camp: not everything has to get your A-game -- some things only require bare minimum effort; prioritize and then divvy out your energy accordingly.
Set healthy boundaries
You must set some time aside that is yours, no matter what. You should block off time on your calendar, do it! Consistency is good for the soul, and great for your clients and/or team. Healthy boundaries are going to look different for everyone (I personally don't have an issue checking in on my work stuff during the weekend), but we can usually find a core middle ground for work availability with our teams.
Be flexible
No matter what aspirations you have for consistency, sh*t happens. On occasion your work will require extra hours, or your home life requires you to take extra time away from the office. Sometimes you've got to take one for the team; sometimes the team takes one for you. It all works out in the end (if it doesn't, and things are regularly imbalanced, refer back to boundary-setting).
Take actual vacations
I've done the one-day-at-a-time PTO thing, and it's not ideal. You need to take longer breaks at least once or twice a year. It keeps you more productive the rest of the time and helps maintain your sanity, so you aren't tempted to constantly put in minimal effort on everything.
There's not a lot of nuance in the world today, but most of us agree that our lives need balance to be healthy. Work hard (and smart) when you're at work, and let things go (turn off those notifications!) when you're not. That will help you enjoy all aspects of your life so much more.