Are you hustling and working longer hours to get that badge of honor?

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but how much work is right? Is working longer hours considered cool?

Like Jack, we all have to work to survive and have to make this balance between self hours and work hours to maintain productivity. But how many hours should we work to achieve that balance is a matter of hot scientific debate?

We all know hard work is the foundation of being successful, but making this unhealthy working ethic the only way to guarantee success is just problematic. In Ashlee Vance’s “Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future” book he mentioned how Elon Musk prioritizes his work-life above everything. He quoted “If there was a way that I could not eat, so I could work more, I would not eat. I wish there was a way to get nutrients without sitting down for a meal.”

His success and contribution to the aerospace industry, business, and global warming are evident and impressive and we all will admire his contribution and ambition. The only thing that can’t help but feel extremely uncomfortable how entrepreneurs like him fetishize working beyond office hours. 

In 1817, labor activist Robert Owen stated the ideal work-life balance would be “eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest.” Owen’s recommendations have played out, for the most part — a standard, the full-time work week is 40 hours per week or 8 hours per day, Monday through Friday.

 Today’s world situation wherein there is entrepreneurial bloom has emerged and all the social sites are glorified with hashtags of #gogetit,#working18hours a day is being appreciated. I’m not objecting to hard work, I myself enjoy a motivational quote and feel a sense of reminder that I should work harder to get the success I desire. But the thoughts that haunt me listening to this entrepreneurial word of wisdom  is “is it necessary to put all your hours into work to get the success you desire”

Here is what long working hours can do

1-Initially you may feel you are being productive but as you carry on following your tight schedule you get burned out and inevitably start feeling behind as all your energy gets drenched. This may cause you to actually lag behind to even catch up with your normal routines

2- Extended work hours generate fatigue which may lead to anxiety, sleepiness, poor concentration. If you continue to ignore these early symptoms it may emerge as fatal risking your life.

3-When  this fatigue increases and you become overwhelmed from long workdays, your safety is at risk. Accidents and injuries are more likely to occur in the workplace. This safety hazard, while difficult to clearly support with scientific evidence because fatigue levels are not easy to measure and quantify, is a logical concern that you should not ignore.

Maintain the work life balance by  following few of these effective technique:

• Don’t try and be all things to all people. Focus on your strengths and outsource the others. If you’re not a whiz at accounts or graphic design, outsource them instead of wasting time.
• If you are a morning person, then assign the tough and high concentrating thoughts to this time. Don’t procrastinate it for later.
• When you feel there are personal issues that have arisen, it can be tempting to bury yourself in your work. Don’t do it If you don’t make time for your personal life – your “me” time, including your family and your health – you won’t have a business to go back to
• Set work hours for yourself and do everything in that period of time. If you develop the power to stick to it, it does wonders. Otherwise, before you know it, you’ll be working until midnight every night Invest in time-tracking tools. There are plenty of tools that can be used to track everything from the frequency and duration of meetings to how much time you invest in every single task assigned.
• Remember to take out time from your work throughout your day. Some tasks are easier than others, so if you find yourself with an hour up your sleeve decide how to utilize it. Be realistic about whether you can take a rest or not. You might not have time every day to simply sit and “be”, but do your best to give yourself a lunch break. Make it a point of getting up and stretching every 15 minutes after work. It will help you become clearer, more focused, and more productive in your task.

Make this work-life balance and break the myth that you can be successful only If you work 18 hours a day. That is nearly impossible to do daily. Follow the routines that can be followed daily.

Read, Failed? Get up again.

One life. Live Boundless