You are wired to Get Shtuff Done!
And you have been rewarded for it your entire life.
How can that possibly be Toxic?
Check out this article about Toxic Productivity. It makes some interesting points and has sound advice.
The bottom line is that many of us get to choose how we want to use our time. The potential problem is that we can get sucked into spending more time on work activities than other things that are important to us in our lives.
Add this to your To Do List: “Do a time study on how you use your time.” Make a list of the top priorities in your life in categories: things like work, family, exercise, sleep, hobbies, friends, fun. Then track your time for a few weeks to see how you are using it. Check out this link for some ideas.
If you are happy with how you use your time, then great!
If not, start making some changes at the margins. Here are some ideas:
*Start saying “no” more often to requests that are optional.
*Negotiate later deadlines for projects. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to please everyone. Please yourself.
*Create a quitting time for every day and stick to it. Working from home can make this both more challenging and more important.
*Block time on your calendar when you are not available for meetings and can get your actual work done.
*Put fun stuff on your To Do List!
*Block time on your calendar for things other than work which are important to you.
Not all of us have the luxury of creating the kind of life that we want. If you are one of the fortunate ones (as I am) then take some time to really choose the life you want. And then make it happen, one small step at a time.
