When working “anytime” turns into working “all the time”
Hi there,
The future of many jobs is asynchronous work – where it doesn’t matter what time of day you do some or all of your duties. I wrote about it in last week’s newsletter. Being able to choose when you do your share of the work is clearly a benefit, no doubt about it.
But that flexibility has a downside. Physically leaving an office, or keeping standard office hours at home, reassures you that you’ve done enough work for one day. If, on the other hand, you can always be called, or if you can reach for your laptop anytime, then the line between your work and home life disappears.
And technology doesn’t help. It all means you run a huge risk of not ever calling it a day and enjoying some true downtime. Anne Helen Petersen in her newsletter Culture Study details this shift in relation to email: The inbox devours everything it comes in contact with, especially leisure time.
So what can we do about our new reality?
The first step is understanding that this newfound freedom means setting limits and establishing boundaries. Before COVID, I used to say: If you think setting limits is hard, then the only alternative is to give up a little freedom. Take flexible hours. If you start work in the morning whenever you feel like it, then you can’t expect to close your laptop every day at 5pm.
Decide when the day is done, timewise. There’s always more work to do, so you’ll have to decide when to stop. That may mean setting a hard and fast rule about the hours you work, and then sticking to it.
That sounds ridiculously simple, but it can prove effective. The time limit helps you get better at focusing on what’s really important.
Decide when the day is done, workwise. The great thing about asynchronous work is that it’s less about how much time you put in, and more about what you have to show for it. It’s not your input that matters, but your output.
It’s incredibly important to discuss that with your team or your manager: When have you done enough for today? How many sales calls or questions from clients is that? What part of the big project are we going to deliver this afternoon?
Once you’ve crossed that main thing off your list, everything else is gravy. And that’s a great feeling.
So get in the habit of choosing a daily highlight and make it clearly visible on your calendar. That’s the way to make it happen.
Determine when your own time starts. If work takes up a big chunk of your day, why not ensure your private life does too? Try blocking time for a lunch break, dinner, exercise, relaxation, a movie, and time offline. Make these “appointments” at least as important as work meetings.
Create physical distance between work and time off. When you don’t go in to the office, you get to skip the commute, which saves loads of time each week. But that also means you have to do without that handy transition from being on duty to being off. Is there another way to build some distance back in?
It may help to always work in a particular spot in your house and then leave your laptop there. If that doesn’t work, it can help to remove all work-related items from your smartphone. You’ll be less inclined to take care of work stuff in your free time.
I live in a small apartment in Amsterdam, where having a home office for myself and my wife is physically impossible. That’s why we recently started renting an office space we share. It’s minutes from our house on foot, which makes us feel incredibly fortunate. (And a little decadent!) I know it’s not for everyone, but we love it.
Try to think beyond the tried and true options. Find out what businesses in your area have to offer. Something may be within your reach after all. There’s often more possible than we think.
This week, in short
So decide when your work is done, prioritize your private life, and think about how you can create some physical space between work and home.
Meanwhile, don’t forget to take advantage of all the benefits of asynchronous work! Take care of that personal matter between work tasks so you can keep your evening free. Or trade in that conventional dinner with friends and family for a virtual coffee break together midmorning.
Mixing it up is a great way to keep a healthy perspective and to be in touch with your full self throughout your day.
Have a good week!
Rick