My friend Reta’s husband, Tommy, has a brain tumor.  They choose to have faith in miracles, as hospice has now stepped in. Their love story is one for the books. But now, in what may be their final journey together, they choose to share about their life and a few common threads.  They lived full lives of love – with a lot of work hours in between.

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. One wonders though. Could time have been spent a little differently? Could their striving for work life balance have played a more significant role? Reta tells me in retrospect, yes.

It’s all food for thought to share with others they hope. Here are some excerpts from a letter Reta wrote to Tommy’s children that she asked me to share. She humbly asks for good thoughts and hopes that in sharing this, it will inspire others to focus more on love and life, rather than those extreme work weeks. It’s simple: it’s ok to work to live, just don’t live to work. It’s a deep conversation for this Father’s Day.

Following is a video from the song Rent, Seasons of Love. Today, take a break and let this all sink in. Take the time to breathe and watch. How do you measure a year? How do you measure a lifetime? Are we conditioned as a society to live to work?

A letter from Reta to Tommy’s children:

Hello Children…

Just a note  to let you all know that Tommy is not eating too well. Just some fruit and I am now juicing for him daily a few times. He appreciates the juice, food is not possible to get down.  He hates taking pills, but now he needs them for the pain. He still has a sense of humor and that is great. The upside is he is doing what he can, and he is in decent mood overall.  He just has love in his heart for the Hospice folks, but prefers to just be alone with me most of the time.

On Love and Cuddling

We speak of love each day several times. I assure him I am not upset with him, as sometimes he thinks that I am. I tell him “no absolutely, not upset with you… just “life” some days,”  but never have I been upset with Tommy.

Our best moments are in bed snuggling and sharing our thoughts… he loves to cuddle up and touch… we both are snuggly bears.  Through the years when we went to bed, we always had the best conversations in bed. Sometimes we did not want to go to sleep as we had so very much we wanted to share with each other.

On Being a Good Person

He does communicate with me still, fairly well, overall. Your father is an amazing human.  He is the best person I have ever known. After being in the business world for nearly 30 years and working 75-110 hours per week and being around so many men through work – I have known lots of people. Tommy/your Dad is a tremendously powerful and kind and loving man.

On Perfection

I have never known anyone with such a pure heart.  It does not matter that no person is perfect… it matters how they live each day,  what they say about others, when they cannot be heard.  Your father never spoke poorly of others, not even when they spoke less then kindly about him.  He turned the other way.  He only had love for people. For life. for animals and nature.

May you each walk in beauty this day, and trust that Tommy’s/your Dad’s  path is good and strong. May you remember all the good and send him love from your mind’s and from your hearts that he feel it now while he battles to get through this.  Send him love, send him courage. Send him the peace that surpasses all.   Love, Reta

Catherine’s Creative Job Transition

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. “No ones investment has been safe, so everyone is re-evaluating how much they can give and where they will give, so we have to find alternatives to cash flow and cutting costs.”

The challenges that NAMC is battling mirror Wright’s personal experience. She went on to tell me that her job wasn’t safe either. She had to re-evaluate how she was spending her time and figure out a way to bring revenue into the organization to keep her job.  But in all the chaos, she says had an edge.

“Because I was so passionate about the mission of the organization, I became even more committed to make it work,” said Wright who realized that it was time to look for new opportunities for NAMC where she had never looked before, which included examining completely new partnerships in uncharted waters.

“I was seeing that the doors were closing, but I was not buying it. Instead I made a new commitment to the organization and somehow that faith started opening new doors,” said Wright who by chance had a sudden opportunity to take a workshop on building business partnerships. She said it lead to something right away, a new perspective on the way she would approach prospective strategic partnerships. Armed with new knowledge, “We came into new negotiations at a higher level than where we started in the past, at a faster pace,” said Wright. 

Catherine Wright took a leap of faith financially to take the course on her own and  jumped on a plane to California from New York. From the chaos of the economy, emerged insight and a new vision not only of how to bring in more business to the non-profit, but how she would manage her career and hang onto that paycheck – at least for now. 

The Career Chaos Economy

In this sudden Career Chaos Economy, being laid off or in fear of it occurring,  seems to be sparking creative and innovative approaches to reinventing ones career and/or heading into entrepreneurship. 

Last week a New York Times’ article, Weary of looking for work, some create their own, explained the venture into sudden career transition and personal job creation. Here’s a telling excerpt:

“Economists say that when the economy takes a dive, it is common for people to turn to their inner entrepreneur to try to make their own work. But they say that it takes months for that mentality to sink in, and that this is about the time in the economic cycle when it really starts to happen — when the formerly employed realize that traditional job searches are not working, and that they are running out of time and money.

Mark V. Cannice, executive director of the entrepreneurship program at the University of San Francisco, calls the phenomenon “forced entrepreneurship.”

Call it what you will, it’s upon us. This time is calling upon people to dive a little deeper into what makes them tick, and to take a surgical knife to the inner workings of personal passion and joy. Some are digging out the real passionate enterprising gusto that may exist below the surface fear of the current stagnation. For others, it’s getting back to the basics of whatever brings joy from past experiences or our own personal narrative.

Still, this self-contemplative mode promises no guarantees except the building of personal courage to weather the storm. It’s that accumulated inner gutsy strength that can either build mountains, or lead to yet another lesson in life. Either way, if you’re unemployed can you really lose by doing an inventory of what drives you and makes you happy?

Here are two recent posts that might provide some inspiration along these lines:

5 Tips to Organically Discover your Passion, While Rewiring your Career

Successfully Aligning your Passion with your Personal Brand

It happened behind closed doors, but I suspect the juicy details of the settlement between writers and producers regarding BlackBerry use after-hours 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.

BlackBerrys afford instant access, which can put a deal to bed successfully before competitors, get the last work in on a project, and be a great tool for flexible working conditions as workers can share vital information while traveling between meetings. It can also be another thorn in anyones worklife balance profile. The perception that workers are accessible after-hours or 24/7, will inevitably bring employees to a new burnout threshold while putting pressure on employers to review their labor policies.

Here are the challenges:

1. What is permissible use of the gadgets? “Hmmm – I’ll answer my BB till PM?”
2. Where do you draw the line in defining what constitutes after-hours work? A simple reply or “Gee – let me read that report and then get back to you.”
3. Is it ok to answer emails with a few words without having to punch in to the company time clock? “If I my answer requires another call or research, I want overtime.”
4. What information is ok to share after-hours, and will it alter the business dynamic of a company? “Hey – I can get that embargoed report before anyone and be blogging by AM the next morning.”
5. Even if a company creates guidelines – who will enforce them? “BBB – BlackBerry Bean counters”
6. If an employee complains and refuses to be available – will they be frowned upon as not being a loyal employee? “When Friday night comes, Karen’s BB interaction is nonexistent, maybe she doesn’t want a promotion?’

Bottom line is that the BlackBerry phenomenon and its implications are just in their infancy. It behooves companies to get a head start on guidelines for usage, before a labor dispute does it for them.

Check out other BlackBerry posts:

BlackBerry Overload

For Whom the BlackBerry Tolls

Battling Sensory Overload on a Bus

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 AM 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. That was until my friends radio alarm went off screeching the following missive: "A bomb went off in Islamabad, Pakistan this morning." Being my nosy self, I suggested she awake to some soft music or ocean sounds instead of the news. She just laughed. It might be jarring and in contrast to any anti-stress methods – but it gets her out of bed.

Shocked back into the reality of our times, I realized how important the last two weeks have been for my worklife constitution or profile. I had allowed myself a huge block of silent time. I chose to abstain from the longing need to answer every call, return every e-mail and read every headline. It was a purposeful, carefully planned time to turn off from the world - and cultivate resilience. I also went on a doctor supervised detoxification program to prepare my body and mind for the load of work in the pipeline.

We participate in spring cleaning, and we often kick-start diets to prepare for the summer bathing suit weather, but how many of us detoxify our worklife constitution? How often do we evaluate the conditions under which we work? Here are five steps toward detoxifying your worklife constitution:

1. Choose to Detox your WorkLife Constitution:Start with dead silence, no expectations, and no attachments. During my detox it occurred to me that some of my working methods needed to change. So I went into a dead silent phase during the detox. What emerged was fascinating. It wasn't that I needed to organize more, but instead, to spend more time in silence – just listening to my inner wisdom. It's a more difficult approach than pushing our will. It's certainly not for the "Ye of little faith," nor is it for those who fear they'll miss the boat if a colleague gets to the finish line before they do. What is your gut trying to tell you that needs to be changed about your worklife experience?
2. Detoxing the intersection of your working and living experience:From the moment that alarm goes off, to the moment you walk out the door or head to your home office what is the typical routine? Get out paper and pen and write down the general scenario. (ie. I wake up, brush my teeth, meditate, get the kids up, make breakfast, turn on the tv..etc) How you prepare for your day will impact your mood for the rest of the day.  Be circumspect of your language and behavior prior to work. What tone are you setting out of the gate? What behaviors no longer serve your quest for better worklife integration?
3. Detoxify by avoiding burnout and embracing worklife flexibility options:Whether you work from a home office or an outside workplace, there are always new strategies, tools and techniques to help you create more worklife flex. The idea of more flexibility or balance in corporate America, once derided, is now a perfectly acceptable conversational item. When evaluating your worklife constitution be sure to investigate. Don't just settle for a quick HR conversation. Often the answers will not be in a book, but instead need to be negotiated with your direct supervisor. Have some concrete reasons for the need to make changes - and some concrete suggested solutions.
4. Detoxifying workplace & business relationships:  Bottom-line is that it's nearly impossible to be liked by all your colleagues equally. Furthermore, as long as you act with integrity, aligned with your morals and values you should be able to ride the wave of egos that come your way – or that trigger your own insecurities. It's your reaction to those tough relationships that help you to detoxify them. One colleague once told me that she purposely keeps her toughest competitors and enemies close, to keep an eye on what they are doing, so they wouldn't get ahead of her. I personally think this is the same kind of manipulation that feeds surface and unhealthy relationships. There is a difference between healthy competition and fear-based or back-stabbing behavior. The later lacks integrity. Moral of the story – be honest. If there is room for discussion after a conflict or difficult competitive moment, try to embrace it with compassion. If not – be on your way steering clear of gossip.
5. Detox your daily Information Intake:It's time to start journaling. For a few days keep track of the types of information that come your way daily. You'll find this a nearly impossible task. Your workday is replete with news, e-mails, and phone calls of every kind. Make a list of the most frequent info-intake portals and then re-evaluate the need for these items. Depending on the work you do – you might find that you only need to read the New York Times a few times a week and concentrate more on the Wall Street Journal. Perhaps daily news is not main needed info-portal? Trade journals might be more helpful to you. We've all heard about managing e-mail. Take the time to design a system or purchase a program that will help you better to organize the incoming and rid yourself of useless information.

Here are a few articles to help you along your path of detoxifying your worklife constitution and cultivating resilience:

Taking an Office Break to Meditate

24/7 Stress: It's not just a Blogger's World

Work/Life Nation: Right Livelihood with Rick Jarow

Work/Life Balance: Can we have a moment of silence?

Black Berry Overload

Exercise at Work: A Mood Booster

WorkLife Balance and Serenity: Peace in Perseverance

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.

"To be sure, there is no official diagnosis of death by blogging… and also no certainty that the stress of the work contributed to their deaths," said Richtel in his article. But one wonders. And it’s not just the world of the blogger that is in danger of overload. Richtel’s feature should serve as that little nudge we all need to examine our lifestyle.

Participating in the 24/7 world of the internet requires a certain stamina, regardless of whether you wear the persona of a blogger. I personally don’t think 24/7 internet participation is a sustainable path unless you have the tools to handle the info-mania that comes your way, along with a proven personal method of cultivating resilience. As a meditation teacher once told me, "You have to drink as you pour." That means consistently checking in with your inner-battery to gauge whether it’s real low – or about to blow a fuse. Taking charge of your fuselage requires daily maintenance so here are some tips:

1. Internet Inquiry: Examine your internet behavior. Must you surf a bazillion times an hour? I recommend taking a serious look at how much time you take surfing. For those of us who do this for a living, can you just say no during your lunch break?
2. Creating Internet-Free Zones. I have a habit of taking my computer to various rooms as Wi-Fi makes it way too easy to do. As difficult as it is, I’ve established my living room as an internet free zone. This stops me from surfing during commercial breaks during American Idol. (hey – it’s a way to wind down)
3. Volume Vigilance: Limit your incoming information. If you need to surf the web limit your click- throughs. Unless I’m doing research on a deadline, I click through only three times. After that I put an interesting URL on a post-it to check out later.
4. Cultivating Resilience: As I said earlier – you have to drink as you pour. You must schedule the white space in your calendar. Whether it’s exercise, meditation, taking a walk – you have to make time for down time or you will burnout. You have to get off the ride of our 24/7 world.
5. Human Connections: When is the last time you picked up the phone to speak with a friend let alone, visit one in person. Novel idea, human contact. It gives the fingers a rest, and the heart a little bit of TLC.

If you need a breather, check out my meditation CD; PRACTICAL CHAOS:Reflections on Resilience at JudyMartinSpeaks.com.

My dreams of my secret peaceful work/life refuge were shattered on Friday during rush hour. I approached the line of cars in front of me which were waiting like ants to get to the top of the hill, but instead to cross the Throgs Neck Bridge. The passengers in the cars in front of me were preparing to fork over five bucks and it was an especially long ling. That excited me. Odd – right? Not for me. Even though I was exhausted and approaching burnout. This was an opportunity.

Being a part of the streaming cars – while an exercise in patience – is generally a peaceful experience because I choose to make it one. It was a beautiful sunny day on Friday. I could smell the water, the cool breeze of spring was trying to make an appearance. I make it a habit to count my breaths, because waiting on that line can be darn annoying. It stops the moment of traffic chaos and reminds to get to the stillness within, instead of concentrating on the chaos outside of me.

Generally, I let people in front of me, ignore the honking horns, and engage in some deep breathing to prepare myself for the traffic on the other side of the bridge heading into Long Island to work. I take the high road and smile at all the drivers who are enraged on the line as they head into the workplace.

Closer and closer I came to the booth and with that I entered deeper and deeper into an aware relaxed state of mind. I was successfully practicing my worklife balance technique of not buying into commuter chaos. Then the unthinkable happened. Right before the car in front of me was to pass – the toll booth collectors changed shifts.

I remained undaunted. My "enlightened" state of mind was still in the peaceful zone. I watched, car by car, the lines in the other lanes move along smoothly. "Just breath," I repeated to myself. I’m not sure what happened, but I suddenly decided that they were doing this just to get me riled up. All that peaceful meditation went out the window – albeit momentarily.

"Come on," I said to myself. Then out loud I exclaimed, "You have got to be kidding me!" Enlightenment was taken like a rug from beneath my feet. I was running just a tad late and it threw me off. Actually, I let it happen. What happened next made me squirm in my seat.

The person in front of me finally paid, but he forgot his change, so he stopped just on the other side of the booth. Suddenly, the lane went into lock down. The police stopped the traffic in the lane; I had not even made it under the awning of the booth. I had no where to go. Toll booth interruptus again. The officer in the booth put his hand up, told me to "Just stay put!" and the driver of the car in front of me slowly emerged from his car. With a soft limp, he slowly made his way back to the booth to collect his change. He looked right at me and smiled an apology. I began to soften, feeling sad for the older gentleman who was clearly challenged. And then it was my turn to pay.

The toll booth officer was completely calm. He looked at me as I handed him a five spot, "Everyone is in such a hurry, people need to slow down!" I nodded, thinking, "No, people, including myself, need to take a breath."

With career success often comes the desire to give back not just around the holidays, but year round. That’s the tone of the Canvas Magazine column – The WorkLife Minute with Judy Martin which features an interview with career expert Marci Alboher.

The holiday season conjures thoughts of family time and celebration, but for many, it also triggers an inner need to give back. You can donate a toy, or help out in a soup kitchen, but those are generally fleeting moments of satisfaction. Some midlifers are raising the bar on their altruistic goals. They’re committing more time and resources to volunteering, while keeping a handle on their professional lives.

It’s a trend that Marci Alboher addresses in the New York Times, in a twice-a-month column and a daily blog called Shifting Careers, and her book One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success. I recently spoke with Marci about how some people have found creative ways to make volunteering a bigger part of their lives.

The holiday season conjures thoughts of family time and celebration, but for many, it also triggers an inner need to give back. You can donate a toy, or help out in a soup kitchen, but those are generally fleeting moments of satisfaction. Some midlifers are raising the bar on their altruistic goals. They’re committing more time and resources to volunteering, while keeping a handle on their professional lives.

Judy: Marci, do you see more midlife professionals making a bigger commitment to volunteering?

Marci: It’s mostly anecdotal, but I see some patterns. There are those who have always volunteered in a low-level way who are now realizing that some of their other responsibilities which used to take a lot of time are diminishing. Maybe they can coast a little more in their career so they have decided to amp up their volunteerism. I call them the “über-volunteer.”

Judy: What defines an über-volunteer?

Marci: These are people who have always had an interest in a cause and really want to move it to the front stage. For a long time they were identified with the moneymaking part of their career and now want to shift. I think this is true mostly for the midlifers and baby boomers who have reached a point in their career where there’s not a whole lot they want to prove anymore.

Judy: What’s the catalyst for such a sudden shift?

Marci: They either travel to another part of the world and see where they can really make a change, or they start to pay more attention to their own community. They’re thinking, “It’s time to downshift and make room for something I really care about.”

Judy:: But for busy, competitive professionals, volunteering weekly can be extremely challenging.

Marci: But the über-volunteer has decided to rearrange their life to make room in their weekly schedule for this new part of their lives. They choose to get involved in a real hands-on kind of way. Not just giving money, but a real chunk of time. Also, these people are starting to identify by this new label associated with their volunteerism as much as they are identified by their career label. When people decide they want volunteerism to become a bigger part of their lives, it comes from a place of passion.

Judy: What other variations are you seeing in this trend?

Marci: There’s volunteering that you can do related to your career. For example, I volunteer by teaching writing to inner-city children and mentoring young people who want to be writers. I know a woman who is heavily into the financial sector who uses her skills and contacts to help a nonprofit that is involved with micro-lending to women in Latin America.

Judy: That sounds like a 24/7 commitment to work. Where do you draw the line to avoid burnout?

Marci: None of us can be productive if we just keep adding and don’t take anything away. If you’re really committed to giving back in a complete way, you have to address your bandwidth to be present for something new—like volunteering. I recommend twice a year, or even quarterly to sit down and say, “If I’m making room for this, what has to go?” and you’ll be surprised how much deeper and fulfilling your life will be.

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This is newborn, Sawyer. His mom, Sarah, is the focus of today’s post. She’s one of a number of people I’ve interviewed recently who have made sudden career moves. So….Why did she make the switch, and how did she do it? The catalyst in Sarah’s case – it was time to start a family and the stress of working in television news wasn’t the stress-free working atmosphere she was looking for to make it happen.

Navigating Needed Career Change

In the newsroom, Sarah Bogaty yearned to continue her success as a producer 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,” she adds, because the couple was preparing to buy their first home.

Bogaty was hit with a convergence of life changes which required a sudden shift in her career. Life happens, and a dramatic shift generally extends to our working lives, kicking off a journey into unknown territory. For Bogaty, that meant finding a job that allowed for creativity and more flexibility.

It’s not as tall an order as it used to be according to Cali Yost, author of Work+Life:Finding the Fit that’s Right for You (Riverhead/Penguin Group 2005). “The biggest emerging trend is a shift from flexibility being a top-down, one-size-fits-all policy – to a process where the flexibility is tailored to the person and the job,” says Yost. But Yost adds that making such a dramatic shift like Bogaty’s, requires an individual to “consciously revalue the other rewards they are getting from that career change.”  For Sarah that meant better hours, being close to home, and working for a company that would allow her to grow and learn new skills.

Keeping an Open Mind

Bogaty was up for the new career challenge. “The process began with a lot of crying, but I knew I had to make the shift,” says Bogaty. Relinquishing her attachment to working in news, she reconciled she had given it a good couple of years and would cherish the good times and friends made. The next step she says, “I stayed open to all possibilities. I didn’t want to limit myself.”

Sarah explored careers that were closely associated to news or the skills she already had acquired. Positions in public relations and marketing were considerations. They would further enhance her writing and people skills.

Seeking advice from friends became the daily activity until she received a phone call from a friend, Christina, with whom she had worked with in news. “Christina raved about how she had found a gratifying position in public relations and how easy the transition was from news,” says Bogaty. After some investigation Sarah landed a job as a public relations manager at Long Island based marketing and research firm, NPD Group.

Sarah Bogaty gave birth to her first child, Sawyer Gabriel, in October. And she has the luxury of caring for her baby boy, knowing that she has a job to go back to. “It’s a fostering environment, and my job is my reward,” she says adding that being appreciated in a flexible and considerate working climate is fun and fosters creativity.

Tell the truth, at least to yourself. You’ve got at least one pair of old shoes barely holding on lingering on the rack near your back door porch, in your closet, or hiding inconspicuously with maybe just a toe or heal poking through that bag of clothing meant for Good Will.

You want to get rid of them, but you tell yourself, ” I might need those for my red dress,” or  “When’s the next time I’ll get to the mall for a new pair of sneakers?” What is the worst that could happen if you just threw those stinky things out without a regret? I’d wager that you probably wouldn’t even miss them. Such is the way we hold onto old behaviors that we hope will yield fruit, but are most likely just taking us another step closer to burnout. Adding to the grind – one last phone call, a few more e-mails or another hour or two at work.

Our behavior in the competitive 24/7 world we live in can wear us thin in the serenity department. Yesterday I wrote about meditation as a tool for success and serenity in the workplace. But we can’t even begin positive changes in the elusive quest for worklife balance, until we divest ourselves of the little habits that perpetually keep us on a path toward worklife exhaustion.

Frankly, I don’t think attaining serenity at work or in business can happen overnight. But perhaps there’s an “old shoe” or rather habit, that you can quit cold turkey.Just one thing. Let me know what you think. It’s a start.

As the day was winding down at one of my freelance gigs, we spent a short break checking out the latest copy-rant on YouTube pleading with America to cut President Bush a break. It was just a few moments which provided a quick laugh  – and then it was back to business.

But apparently those short dips into never-never land generally last a lot longer in the workplace. Various studies worldwide suggest employees spend about a fifth of their work day engaging in personal activities, (ie.) on the Internet. Apparently, cyberslacking rates pretty high on the list of offenses.

A recent study by on-line compensation firm Salary.com showed the U.S. employees surveyed admitted to wasting 20% of their time at work. About 34% of them listed personal Internet use as the leading time-waster at work.

There is a HUGE difference between wasting your mandated work time on personal ventures, and taking time for worklife balance or integration. It’s really a matter of principle, although one could argue that if an employer is not honoring its employees with appropriate break time in the workplace, perhaps one has to find a way to take that time.

Unfortunately, you have to take responsibility for making sure that alone  -or lunch time  – occurs.  In a 24/7 world, that is easier said than done when your career involves working for someone else. I’m going to list some tips on how to make this happen for you in the coming week. Any ideas on how to approach your employer to let them know you’re burning out? Do share!

And for tips on worklife balance, click here to check out my WorkLife Minute which you can also find on my website, JudyMartinSpeaks.com