Despite all of the challenges people have experienced over the past year, one bright spot has emerged: the value of time. How we valued our time before the pandemic isn’t necessarily how we value it today. One thing is for certain: time is the one thing in our lives that we cannot reacquire once it is gone.
Even prior to March 2020, more than 75 percent of U.S. professionals said they’d experienced burnout at least once at their current job. And burnout causes an estimated $125 to $190 billion each year in healthcare costs. For those new to working from home, working remotely has further blurred the lines between our personal and professional lives, leading to increased levels of burnout, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness. It’s given people the space and motivation to reflect on what’s most important to them and draw a hard line between their work and personal life
Although I’ve worked from home for several years now, I had recently joined DemandGen (now BDO Digital) in March of last year. I also have two children under the age of 4, one whom just started walking. And then…COVID hit. Like many, it turned my world upside down. The reality of our quickly changing world came to a head when, my second day on the job, both my children raced into my office during an online meeting with the COO. (I’d personally like to thank this gentleman for his help in normalizing these unpredictable moments where children clearly don’t understand the distinction between work and home life.)
So, how do you draw the line and devote enough time for both? Some days are easier than others, but it starts with setting clear boundaries for yourself, honest communication, and a strategic, laser-like focus. Here’s what worked for me.
- Set clear boundaries.
Like so many of us do at one point or another, I had to deal with a lot of change simultaneously — new job, newly mobile toddler, Zoom preschool, and a pandemic — so in order to manage it all with some level of grace, I had to quickly come to terms with what’s most important to me. And what it comes down to is this: When I’m at work, I’m at work. And when I’m not at work, I’m not at work.
In order to be focused and effective during the workday, I need to make some time for myself and my family. That means not logging on after the kids are in bed, establishing times for lunch and breaks, and maintaining a start and end time to every day. I’ve been striving to establish those boundaries and clearly define when I’m focused on something. And I’m teaching my team members to do the same. When I’m in a meeting, I’m in that meeting. I’m not checking email, responding to text messages, or finishing up a slide deck for another project.
- Communicate honestly and proactively.
In January, I brought up my concerns around burnout with management. It wasn’t here yet, but I could see the seeds being planted. This spring, I was overallocated and reaching my limit. Those seeds had started to sprout.
So, how do you know when you’re reaching your limit? One of the key indicators for me is my health. When I get sick, I know I’m pushing myself beyond my limit. And that impacts my life beyond work. This time, it was my son who got sick. It changed everything. I couldn’t be on a call because I needed to care for my son. I didn’t get the rest I needed to recuperate over the weekend, so I wasn’t running on a full tank on Monday. It went downhill from there.
It’s important to have ongoing conversations about what you can reasonably handle and what you can maintain over time. Putting in extra hours here and there for the occasional high-priority, quick-turnaround project is one thing. Doing so for a sustained period of time (i.e. all the time) is another.
- Prioritize where you direct your full attention.
Each day, I evaluate what I’m responsible for, accountable for, what I need to be consulted on, and what I just need to know about. I basically break out my day into a RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable Consulted, Informed). For anything that blocks my calendar, I determine if I have to be there and, if so, if I need to lead the meeting.
Obviously, the things I’m responsible for I still have to own and maintain. Sometimes, though, I’m invited to meetings where I just need to know what’s going on. I’m not responsible or accountable for any tasks. In these instances, I’ll remove them from my schedule and get brought up to speed afterward. Meeting fatigue and burnout is just as real and even more so now.
- Don’t be afraid to delegate.
Sometimes, there just isn’t enough of you to go around. But the work still needs to get done. First, you have to determine where you’re needed the most. That may require taking a step back on a project, bringing on another resource, and serving as a mentor instead of the project owner. That happened recently on a project where I just didn’t have the bandwidth to give it the attention it required. While this can feel uncomfortable for some, the end goal is always client and team success. So, sometimes the best solution is to come up with a better strategy, even if it requires putting a different chess piece in play.
Continuing to try to juggle everything would have required a great deal multitasking, which would have caused all of my projects to suffer. As a result of delegating authority to another team member, the level of effort and time I spent on that one particular project significantly decreased. This provided me with the time and focus I needed to complete my other tasks. Delegating certain responsibilities is a win-win. You continue to do exceptional work and the client continues to get exceptional support.
Finding balance so everyone wins
I want my clients and my team members to be successful, but I can’t do that well while putting my own health, happiness, and things I hold most important in jeopardy.
I’ve had these conversations with my team and my managers, who, to their credit, have all been incredibly supportive. I will say that working with people who also value their employees’ lives outside the office is critical, and not all of us are so lucky to have it.
Fortunately, after a year of work from home life, company culture in general is now more tolerant than ever when it comes to child cameos and babies crying (or dogs barking) in the background. But, it still takes discipline, focus, creativity, and, honestly, a bit of juggling to help ensure some kind of balance.
For even more tips on how to remain focused and productive while working from home, check out this blog post.
Ally Summers is a Project Manager within our Demand Gen Group. She is a seasoned project management and digital marketing professional with several years of experience in project management, email marketing, quality assurance, process improvement, graphic design, and development. She drives consistent project practices to create a unified client experience, driving process improvements and operational efficiencies for both client and team success.
The post 4 Ways to Protect Your Time and Avoid Burnout in an Always-On World appeared first on DemandGen.
