Everyone’s busy. You’re swamped. I’m swamped.
We’re facing more burnout, depression, and workplace anxiety.
It’s because we’re working too much – right?
Not exactly.
The sobering truth is that the 21st century work week is far shorter than it was in the 1800s.
And the amount of time we spend working doesn’t predict our happiness. There are happy people working long, difficult hours.
So why are we experiencing work so differently today?
One reason has to do with our perception of time control.
Time control is the degree to which we believe we have control over our schedule.
In work cultures with high commitment values and beliefs, where employees are rewarded for sacrificing life outside of work to work more, it can create the feeling your time is not your own.
That feeling alone creates anxiety and decreases well-being – even if you only worked 30 hours.
Because you don’t feel like you should rest – even when you are actually trying to rest.
When we have lots of meetings back to back – it erodes our time control. Meetings often feel like distractions and they’re usually scheduled by others adding to the narrative that…
Our time is not our own.
So how can we prototype some changes to regain some control and well-being? Here a few strategies to design into your week.
- Flexibility: Can you ask to start later or earlier? Can you have a chunk in the middle of the day for personal reasons? Maybe email at 9:00 PM feels better to you? Even the perception of flexibility improves well-being.
- Punch out, go dark: In the 1800s, there was a clear line between work time and personal time. The modern need to feel available all the time makes our rest periods – well not very restful. If you can plan, negotiate, or even tell a white lie about your availability to truly disconnect from work – you’ll gain more of the benefits of rest. Create your own punch out ritual.
- Schedule family time: Family obligations can create time control stress, but the interactions actually foster rest and compassion – increasing our well-being. Having a family obligation has also been shown to increase your focus at work. Scientists believe this productivity boost may be a strategy for creating more space for the family.
If you’re a leader and you’re worried about your team burning out – try the free energy map activity
By Adam Allred
DYL Consulting Director and Certified Instructor