Why do people choose to stay late at the workplace? Is it all as a result of coercion? If so, why do some people stay voluntarily? Is it out of ambition, fear, or a warped sense of duty — or boredom with life away from the workplace? Some thoughts on why overwork is often voluntary and what to do to break yourself of the habit of working longer than you have to.

Continual busyness and overwork amongst well-paid professionals today is more likely to be for purely social reasons than because it is essential. Many people work harder than they need to build up social standing and display their importance. In terms of becoming an “alpha” individual in the herd, is the equivalent of the dance of the Lyre Bird or the bellowing of the stag. That’s why, while there are plenty of folk who must work excessive hours, just to survive (if you think about it, a disgrace in a modern society), what we are seeing is the odd phenomenon of the rich working just as hard, purely to display their status — followed by the “wannabe” rich doing the same in imitation.

The constant busyness and pressure in today’s workplace feed a human need for stimulus and excitement. It’s easy to fall into the trap of basing your feelings of self-worth on easily observable factors like working long hours, accepting near-impossible demands, and “taking it” when others flag or complain. Speed, constant busyness, and pressure are genuinely addictive. They set off brain chemicals that make you feel alert and alive and give you a short-term high. In time, this becomes an addiction and you’ll need more of it to produce each new high. Is what you want for yourself and those who depend on you?

Reflections what it takes to build a more balanced life

The central principle of Slow Leadership — creating a civilized working environment — isn’t an easy task, especially in the present climate. It demands finding and holding a balance between legitimate business needs, career aspirations, social and family responsibilities, and leisure. And it isn’t being helped [...]

I came across this picture on the web recently. I think it shows the perfect attitude to take to working on the computer. It can also be seen as a perfect example of sleeping on a problem.
A bit of nonsense, I know, but sometimes it’s worth it to relax a little. Animals are what they [...]

Lack of time is caused more by your values than any clock

There’s a joke that goes like this: “Which three statements are never true?” The answer is:

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Technorati Tags: managing your time and priorities, time as an expression of value, how to spend more time on what you value most, [...]

Maybe it really is time to take another line and stop cluttering up our lives with endless to-do lists

In the Huffington Post for February 20th, 2008, Lisa Earle Macleod published a challenging and combative article that attacks the whole notion of work/life balance. It’s worth reading the whole article, but here are a few [...]

More than a year ago, I visited an idea you may have come across yourself: the notion that certain things are too contradictory to be attainable together. In today’s environment, I think we all need to revisit that topic and consider whether we ever, truly, absorbed the message.
These four qualities describe most of the outcomes [...]