Main Idea
What happens when you burn a candle at both ends? Does it serve its purpose? Is its life shortened?
Expansion of Idea
With the increased use of cell phones, I-pads, laptops and always on- demand service, we are all working harder than ever. But are we more effective? I see a lot of people who are tired, stressed out and generally not providing great customer service. When we get in that mode, we normally are only performing at a percentage of our optimal level. If you are only performing at 70% of your peak level, then how much time could you take off and still get the same performance? Do you have to stay later to get that report out or should you make sure you get a chance to refresh and hit your job fresh in the morning?
It is very easy to get into a downward spiral with work and other duties. How often do we actually plan time to read a book, take the kids to the zoo or take our spouse to dinner? It is virtually impossible for you to do a great job between 8 and 5 if you are completely out of control time wise between 5pm and 8am the next morning.
If you are the boss, questions to ask yourself
Am I burned out?
Do I have regularly scheduled time for relaxing and improving?
Is there anyone working for me that needs work reassigned to remove pressure?
How can I help my team improve their work-life balance?
If you are not the boss, questions to ask yourself
Am I burned out?
Do I have regularly scheduled time for relaxing and improving?
Is there a way to help my coworkers with their workload?
Do I need to talk to the boss about systems to help workload?