I came a cat's whisker from quitting my day job. I ended up taking a 6 week sabbatical to get my head straight and figure out my next career move. In the end, I decided to return to "the company". While the craziness and absurdity of life at the company have not changed, I have. Most importantly, I have changed my entire mindset concerning my day job. Here are 10 things I've done to make the 9 to 5 much more palatable.
1. Reduce the size of your job
When I was on sabbatical, I spent a lot of time on personal interests and projects that I've been putting off for years. Our day jobs have a way of sucking the energy out of us. So much so that when we are actually away from the office, we are unmotivated to do the things we really enjoy. If you can get in the habit of dedicating significant time to those endeavors that excite you and energize you, your 9 to 5 job will occupy a much smaller place in your day. Instead of your life revolving around work, work will start revolving around life. Instead of coming home from work and sitting catatonic in front of the TV, numbing the day's pain, you will go to your wood shop and create that cabinet or go for a bike ride or take the dogs to the lake or work on that novel. Instead of going to sleep thinking about tomorrow's chores, you will go to sleep thinking about tomorrow's opportunities.
2. Stop striving
I have come to realize that a life climbing (crawling is probably a better word for it) up the corporate ladder is not as rewarding as I had imagined. It was fun and fulfilling at the lower rungs. It was about proving your worth, making parents proud, impressing friends and colleagues and earning more money during those early days. There comes a point when you realize that you won't be CEO, nor do you want to be. You also realize that the middle rungs of the ladder are remarkably similar to purgatory. Once you have come to this realization, stop the suffering! You've already made your job "smaller" in bullet number one. Now, stop crawling up the ladder. If it makes you happier, slide down a few rungs. Regardless, stop striving for more, more status, more influence, more titles, more pay. Start accepting that it is okay to stay in your current position or even a less demanding one.
3. Stop complaining
We all want a say. We all want influence. When things aren't going our way, we want to tell our boss about it. We want to make things better. My advice, tread lightly and watch what you wish for. Sometimes, complaining to your boss is necessary and crucial to self-preservation. Other times, it is whiney and the symptom of a disgruntled (and expendable) employee. Yet other times, it's a signal to your boss that you want more influence, more challenges and more responsibility. Surely, if you are complaining a lot, you have a better way of doing things. Maybe you need to be in a position with more influence, more power and more accountability. Before you complain, be very clear with yourself why you are complaining and what you want to achieve. Sometimes it's better to just let things be.
4. Do a good job
Be careful. You still need to pay the bills so you need to keep your day job. Today's working world is extremely competitive. Layoffs are a constant threat to all industries and companies. You need to remind your employer that you have value. Even if you stay at your current job, you must continue to perform at a high level. You must keep training on new practices, methods and technologies. You need to be well respected by bosses, peers and subordinates. In short, maintain a strong work ethic and personal integrity. If you look too lackadaisical, people will know and that doesn't bode well for your employability.
5. Set clear boundaries
The week before I went back to work, I knew that I needed some boundaries and structures in place to aid me in keeping work "small". Sacrifices here and there have a tendency to grow and, the next thing you know, you are sucked into the same bad habits that trapped you and suffocated you before. So, I proceeded to jot down boundaries that were important to me and would allow me to "turn off" work and "turn on" my life outside of work. The second day back in the office (the first day was spent perusing the hundreds of emails) I sat down with my boss and shared my boundaries. He was completely supportive and had actually started creating his own boundaries while I was out on sabbatical. Once my boss was onboard, I began educating my peers and colleagues so they were clear about my availability. Now, everyone knows when I will be present for face to face meetings, when I will be joining by phone, when I have gone home for the day and when I am available in the mornings. I no longer need to explain and negotiate all of my comings and goings. It is amazing how much guilt is removed when you set clear boundaries.
6. Arrange a flexible work schedule
Flexible work arrangements don't work for everyone. But for many, especially those with young children or those who commute long distances, it is a necessity. I fall into the latter category since my home office is 120 miles from my home. The ability to telecommute 3 days per week is a essential. But telecommuting means more to me than the ability to work from home. It's about having the flexibility to get out of the office and see the world. I need variety throughout the course of my work day. It's difficult for me to hunker down at a desk or a meeting room for 9 hours per day, trapped inside the four walls of an office building. I need a connection with the world outside the office, a connection with nature and society. On the days that I telecommute, I build in a lot of flexibility that feeds my needs. I start my workday at 5:30am and end it at 4pm. During the course of the day, I intersperse my workday responsibilities with activities that keep me connected to the world around me. I take my dogs for walks, go out to lunch, do pilates and other exercises, go to the mall, wash the car, go to a park, go to the driving range or play tennis. Not only has work become a small part of my day, but it has also become a smaller part of my "work day".
7. Prioritize your work
I'm reminded of the saying from the superhero movies, "with great power comes great responsibility". I would change it slightly for our purposes to say, "with great workplace flexibility comes great responsibility". Our work culture has become a lot more tolerant and accepting of telecommuters but there is still a lot of suspicion. It is essential that you be a strong performer in order to both negotiate a telecommuting arrangement and keep one. There are many distractions at home and in the community. Employers need to be convinced that you are not fly fishing in a mountain stream. To stay on track, you must have the ability to prioritize. First, you need to prioritize your work. I start my day with a list of two priorities or goals. I allow myself to work on other items but I must accomplish those two items. Second, you need to ensure work is a higher priority than non non-work items. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes, you need to pick up the kids from school or attend a parent-teacher conference or go to a doctor's appointment. But, in general, you must tend to work tasks during the hours you set aside for work. Be very careful not to spend too much time doing activities you are passionate about like playing a round of golf or writing your blog.
8. Avoid the water cooler
By now, you may already start feeling like work is getting really small... and you like the feeling. Now you need to make sure you avoid the traps that turn a molehill into a mountain. Every workplace has its water cooler talk. Rarely do these conversations take place at an actual water cooler. Most often, they occur in the cafeteria or at the end of a meeting or on a smoke break. At first, the conversations are fun and addicting. The grapevine has a bias towards the dramatic and we all get caught up in the "what ifs". What if we re-organize again? What if we outsource? What if I get a new boss? What if the project loses funding? What if there are layoffs? Rarely are the what ifs positive. Surrounding yourself with all of that negativity will surely pull you down and affect your emotional state. Before you know it, your boundaries are breached. Your what ifs will begin bleeding into your life outside of work, coloring conversations with friends, consuming your thought. Your free time begins filling up on fear and worry. You can't let that happen. If you want to keep work small, you need to avoid the figurative water cooler.
9. "It's just a job"
What would a top 10 list be without at least one cliche? Hopefully, you've successfully made your work small. Yet, sometimes, small things can create a great deal of pain. It would be unwise to think that work will never get under your skin again. In the worst of times, remind yourself that "it's just a job". If it feels like work has gotten too big, put it next to something that is bigger. Would you rather be starving in Africa? Would you prefer to spend your days on the front lines in Afghanistan? How about living with cancer? Think about the worst case scenario when work gets big and bad. Then put it next to awful scenarios that many people around the world face on a daily basis. You'll quickly realize that "it's just a job".
10. Detachment
Detachment is the end of the road but not the end of the journey. The steps leading up to this point have provided me detachment from my day job. By keeping work small, I am free to focus on the things that bring me joy and fulfillment. I say detachment is the end of the road because, unless your day job is your passion, the ultimate goal is to reduce the importance of the 9 to 5. The only way to accomplish this is to let go and turn more of your focus away from your work. I say that detachment is not the end of the journey because work does not go away quietly. It will continue to test you, breach your boundaries and threaten to become large again. Detachment is something that must be pursued, practiced and reinforced. It is a constant journey but well worth the trip.