Wayfinding through Everyday Challenges at Work

“Do working hours drive you crazy too?
Often there is a lot of work to finish or even in normal days there are late eve meetings or some deadline to meet. Have you faced such a situation? If yes, what are such situations and how do you manage the work-life balance?”

Someone posted the questions on a regional WhatsApp group. I can hardly be blind to the question. And since there is so much to say, I thought of sharing it in a post here.

Yes, the prolonged work hours have now begun to show their effect, especially because I have not had the opportunity or window to go on a vacation. It has been some years since I took a leave for a few days at a stretch—and have purposely been away from work. Within this time, I’ve noticed that my capacity and productivity have gone up. However, my boiling point has considerably lowered. This means I get more angry more easily and more frequently. Even the fact that someone put up this question annoyed the hell out of me. 😀

However, with an emphasis on the word “However”, I have also noticed a few unexpected changes in me. I have become more patient with myself. I take time to understand things and I excuse myself for it. I feel tired, drained out, fatigued by the end of the day and I can barely crawl to my bed, but my quality of sleep has tremendously increased because I know that all I have to recharge myself are those five hours. I have entered into my automatic zone where I can barely feel myself doing my work-related tasks, it just comes naturally. In fact, if anything, I feel bothered and uneasy if I do not face any challenges on a given day. Each passing day reminds me of the “Hamdard’s Chinkara” advertisements that were aired when we all were young. Challenges or not, I feel I must pay either way; either with my callousness and lack of experience or with my dexterity and lack of time.

A lot of it depends on how you approach your work. AND a lot of it depends on how dependable your manager thinks you are. If they believe in “leading by example”, they can give you the authority, responsibility, and ownership of your products. It is an unsaid agreement that has mutual benefits and mutually dependent conditions. If I were an individual contributor, I’d choose to step up to match my role, expectations, and work. I’d clearly communicate how my doing my work impacts MY performance and MY life. But, if I were the team lead/manager, I’d communicate how my sharing the ownership and flexibility will help the TEAM grow. I’d share how little contributions from the team contribute to making a huge impact.

I’ve observed that unforeseen challenges, scope creep, new tools and methodologies, and more products/projects/features, all make me a better “me” every day. I am increasingly becoming efficient at compartmentalizing my thoughts and tasks, accordingly. Sometimes, I can foresee and plan for challenges and work items based on the product roadmap. Sometimes, I can accommodate last-minute challenges. Much like everyone else, I am guilty of letting my work creep into my personal schedule on a few occasions. But I can be flexible with how I approach my work. I can log off for some time for lunch. I do not have to worry about my login and logout timings. I can step out of meetings. And I can catch up with my work on Saturdays if required.

As for the work-life balance:
Set aside some time in the work schedule for:

• Create (and stick to) a work schedule. Have definite login and logout times.
• Ensure that you’re consistent and predictable in your work and work schedule.
• Keep Fridays for only yourselves. Clear backlogs. Listen to recordings. Learn and share. Speaking of learning…
• Learn something every day.
• Listen to stakeholders. Tell them what you need. Help them with their last-minute tasks. Even a tiny help goes a long way. Remember, language is your forte and their challenge. Capitalize on it.
• Make a list of work items for each day, each week, and each upcoming week.
• Sort things/resources for you to use them the next day/week.

The key is to learn to communicate. Everyone feels burnout. We must voice our opinions when we feel fatigued. We must learn to say No. We must learn to listen to and consider the other side of the story. We must learn to look at the bigger picture. We must learn to listen to our hearts and follow our judgment. It is as simple as that; it is as difficult as that. Still, there always is something unaccounted for, unforeseen, or unplanned. But then, isn’t life more about the moments that take our breath away than about the ones that don’t?

I’d be curious to know your opinion. Please feel free to add to the Comments section.