Our invincible nature as human beings allows us to not only survive burnout in our 24/7 work life merge, but also to evolve and thrive. By cultivating resilience, we can spark our own unique restorative skills, navigate info-overload and foster innovation to consciously evolve in the workplace.
We’ve all heard the stories of the model elite who might have only gulped a Pepsi and a carrot in between shoots for days at a time, but what we don’t hear about is the work life balance, or lack there of for those working behind the runway.
Reta and Tommy spent most of their adult lives working in management. 75-110 hours a week for the better part of three decades. Friends were made, but so much time was spent doing business, hammering away on the computer, and navigating corrections in the markets. Still time was also found for serving others and family.
Catherine Wright is the membership director for the National Association of Mothers’ Centers. She, along with the rest of the planet is in great transition. It’s a similar challenge working for non-profits in our chaotic economy. It requires a certain amount of faith and commitment, especially as non-profits are fledgling under slashed philanthropic generosity. That result, courtesy the recession and Bernie Madoff – not necessarily in the order.
“We rely a lot on individual and private foundation monies,” said Wright in a phone conversation this morning
It happened behind closed doors, but I suspect the juicy details of the settlement between writers and producers regarding BlackBerry use afterhours at ABC News, is the stuff of much gossip and concern in an industry where the “news” never sleeps. It should also be the concern of companies in just about any sector as we are living in a time of instant information and instant gratification.
After a whirlwind of travel for nearly two weeks, designed to help me build my “inner warehouse of stillness,” on my elusive quest for worklife balance – I have landed at a colleague’s home in Boston. At 6am this morning in a deep silent contemplative state, I thought about the last two weeks of quiet time and the “detoxification program” that I had undergone.
If you’re a Sensory Overload Tracker (a formal expertise) like myself, the cover of the Sunday Times elicited a big, “Ha, I knew it would come to this!” In Matt Richtel’s article, In Web World of 24/7 Stress Writers Blog Till They Drop he chronicles the exhausting journey of “the blogger” and shares some disturbing news about the recent passing of several bloggers. He also lists the common physical ailments associated with those who make a career of blogging 24/7. So much for worklife balance.
With career success often comes the desire to give back not just around the holidays, but all year round. That’s the tone of my Canvas Magazine column – The WorkLife Minute which features an interview with career expert Marci Alboher.
Navigating the demands of a suddenly needed career change.
In the newsroom, Sarah Bogaty yearned to be successful amidst deadlines and a 24/7 stressful working environment. But the former television producer didn’t like the balancing act. “Waking up at three in the morning for work was a grind and it wasn’t fulfilling,” says Bogaty, who wanted to start a family with her husband Ian, but felt she was burning out in the workplace. “I was miserable and it was frightening and stressful,” she adds, because the couple was preparing to buy their first home.
