We Work Too Much

That's right.  I said it.  We work too much.  The culture here in the United States places such a high value on work that most people are willing to let work crowd out other aspects of their lives.  Family, friends, church, community, and personal development needs go by the wayside all the time.  The kid's baseball game, the choir practice, the volunteer event, the continuing education class, the trip to the gym, the lunch with a friend, and yes even date night.  We may just be a little late, we may re-schedule, or we may outright cancel.  Many people won't think twice about prioritizing work over any of these because work is THE priority.  That's what's been drilled into our heads.  You can look at it another way.  How many times have you been late, re-scheduled, or canceled a work event because of a non-work event?  I'm guessing it happens a whole lot less than when work drowns out non-work. 

It can be argued that given the current economic environment, people who still have jobs will do whatever it takes to keep those jobs, including working extraordinary hours and sacrificing other areas of their lives.  I totally get that.  Survival instincts can completely alter our daily lives.  But I'm looking beyond this.  Whenever this economy finally returns to better times, I can almost guarantee we will continue to work too much.

In a CNN Money article, Laura Vanderkam discusses the concept of diminishing returns.  At a certain point, those extra hours become less and less productive.  Working late to meet a hard deadline is one thing.  But most times, the working late thing is a choice.  And that is something that needs to change.  Staying at the office so the boss can see your car still in the parking lot or staying online until the wee hours doesn't necessarily translate into productive time.

Work-life balance.  We hear the term all the time.  We'd all like to have it.  It's too complicated of a topic to boil down in a couple sentences and I'll likely have a few other posts on this topic.  I think the bottom line is that for any semblance of balance to be achieved, hard choices have to be made.  You can't pinball yourself to a well-rounded life.  We can start by choosing to not work so much.  We've all heard the common expression: "No one on their deathbed ever said 'I wish I spent more time at the office.'"  Unfortunately, in this day and age, I wouldn't be surprised if someone has actually muttered these words.