Success, Priorities and Breaking The Rules
I went into this week carrying some good momentum from last week. For the most part, I kept the good momentum going…until Wednesday.
I knew there was a chance I’d slip up this week, but it didn’t happen the way I expected it to.
Lessons Learned
One of the best parts about doing a monthly experiment is that you always learn something about yourself along the way. The best thing I’ve learned after two weeks without working late is that being a workaholic is optional, not mandatory.
I used to believe that working long hours was a mandatory part of being an entrepreneur. To run a company, you have to work all the time, right? Apparently not.
Monday and Tuesday were incredibly productive days. I got a ton of work done, bid on a pair of nice projects and kept my inbox under control. I found myself feeling stronger every day. Every time I quit working at 5:00, it felt easier.
Then came Wednesday.
Breaking The Rules
This week wasn’t a normal week. I soft-launched a new product after months of intense work. I should have been pulling all-nighters, stressing about last-minute details, but I wasn’t.
When I planned the rules of this experiment, I didn’t know how I’d make it through my product launch. I expected the launch to ruin this experiment, or the experiment to ruin the launch. Neither of those things happened. I boxed my time, planned ahead, busted my ass, and the launch just sort of happened.
So, why did I break the rules?
How did I slip up?
I got a call Wednesday afternoon from one of my business partners. He wanted to go over some details about a project we’re working on together. It was 4:45 and I was supposed to quit working at 5:00.
I knew it would be better for everyone if we finalized these details before the end of the day. I also knew it would probably mean me breaking my 5:00 rule.
To be honest, I had mixed feelings at the time. I knew I wasn’t going to let my team down, but I also resented that I’d have to mess up my streak.
We wrapped things up at 5:30.
A tiny part of me felt like I was cheating myself by choosing to break my rule. Still, I would have felt much worse if I let my rule make things harder for my business partner. It wasn’t a hard decision.
Takeaways
The point of monthly experiments is to make life better, not to simply adhere to a rigid set of rules.
The Stop Working Late experiment has already had a huge positive impact on my life. I plan to keep it going long after this experiment officially ends.
This experiment isn’t just about quitting work at 5:00. The time itself is arbitrary.
The point of this experiment is to get my priorities back in order. It’s about spending quality time with my family, instead of being a workaholic.
I’m looking forward to finding my groove next week and boosting my productivity. I’ll let you know how it goes.
How About You?
I’m very interested to learn about your work hours.
What time do you stop working?
Do you use an enforced end-time?
photo by Earls37a
View all posts in this series
- January 2012: Stop Working Late - December 31, 2011
- My First Week Without Working Late - January 6, 2012
- Stop Working Late – Week 2 - January 14, 2012
- How To Stop Being a Workaholic - January 28, 2012
- Stop Working Late: Before & After - January 31, 2012
My initial full-time job in higher education was as the Director of Residence Life at a small private college. I chose to live on-campus as a part of my job. My choice to live on-campus in a cramped makeshift apartment was motivated by low pay and a high housing rental market at the time. I literally lived where I worked. This was probably the best thing that happened to me b/c it drove me to the brink and tested my limits in regards to balancing work vs. home life. I reached a point where there was no discernable beginning or end to the work day.
I eventually moved off-campus, but quickly learned that my previous availability by me living on-campus had created the expectation in the organization that I would be as available living off-campus. I knew I had to change jobs…and did so a few months later.
Since that time I have refined, and maybe even perfected, the tao of a work/life balance.
There is no need to work more than 40 hours per week. It’s an arbitrary number in the old U.S. of A. that needs to be re-examined (albeit, hopefully in a better way than France went about it). Anytime one works beyond this number it’s a matter of efficiency and/or purpose.
Too many people spend way too much time on things that don’t matter at all. I have a framed print in my office that has an amazing photo of the Tetons and the following wording at the bottom:
P U R P O S E
“Clarity of purpose exposes the foundation of the inner heart.” ~ M.H. Mckee
John, so glad you are re-examining this aspect of your life. It’s made all the difference in mine. Keep up the efforts!
Hey Kevin! It’s great to see you over here.
That’s an awesome story, and I totally relate about those expectations. For too long, I’d set crazy expectations. I was having lunch with a client in December and she said something along the lines of “Hey, I don’t want you working so much/late. That’s not good for any of us.” One of the biggest things I realized during my Stop Working Late experiment is that most of those crazy expectations were coming from me wanting to be Mr. Rockstar Consultant for everyone. When I stopped, no one complained and the quality of my work (and life!) went up.
Cheers.
Hey Kevin,
Thanks so much for sharing your experience all the way through. Working so much is causing problems in all my relationships, especially with my fiance and my parents.
I recently started up being in my company full time and it has caused some crazy success in landing sone big projects. Lately it’s been a bit quiet so I began to spend more time working from home in my business in the evenings with website content, press releases, analysing my work day and lots of research.
This has affected my relationship in that we are hosting an engagement party which at first i spent a lot of time in, to the detriment of my business, and before that the construction industry was closed for the December period. This is what lead me to overworking in the days and nights when i had the chance.
When visiting my fiance, I always have my laptop with me and am always working or reading something on business now. I realise I need to fix this. I’m worried that I don’t have enough clients as yet, but also that I don’t want to lose my fiance.
I’ve set alarms like you did and am now going to put my effort into sticking to ending business at 5, and waking up as early as possible if needed. I can’t remember when last I walked in a park or anything of the sought. I normally only did those things Once a year while on a holiday. I definitely need to practice smelling the roses of life. If you have any ideas, pleaseshare them with me. Today is the day I start.