There is simply not enough time in the day to meet life’s demands. Aside from working 40 +/- hours per week, we stretch ourselves so thin just to keep up. Pressures to perform come from every direction – play with our animals, keep our kids fulfilled, spend quality time with family and friends, maintain our homes (i.e., laundry, dishes, house projects), keep active, embrace a healthy lifestyle, somehow get 7-8 hours of sleep every night and don’t forget about your partner.
The life we create outside of work is so valuable and yet we continue to struggle to nourish it. Did you know that the average wake-up in the United States is 7:20 am, and the average time people go to bed is between 10:00 and 11:00 pm? Considering the hours you put into work per day, how much time are you left with to divvy up between the tasks above? (see below)
Let’s say you work 9-5, Monday-Friday.
Wake up at 7:20, which means you have 1 hour and 40 minutes before clocking in.
Clock out at 5 and go to bed at 11:00 p.m. Which means you have 6 hours after work before going to bed.
In total, you have 7 hours and 40 minutes per day that is not spent at your desk.
Assuming that the entire 1 hour and 40 minutes before work is spent getting ready for the day you can take that away right off the bat so you’re down to 6 hours (Woo!).
The average commute time is 27.6 minutes one way, so there and back is 55 minutes of commute time daily, which brings you to 5 hours and 5 minutes.
Assuming you eat dinner somewhere in there, subtract another hour to cook, eat, and clean up (and that’s being generous), which brings you to 4 hours and 5 minutes.
Maybe you take your dog(s) for a walk or maybe you have the infamous bath routine for your kid(s), take off another 45 minutes (3 hours and 20 minutes).
The point is, the only person who can prioritize “you” time, is you. The goal should be to keep your cup as full as possible, ALWAYS. You shouldn’t be empty, just pushing through until the weekend. Use the weekend to create the life you want; not escape the life you have. If you got up just 30 minutes earlier every day, it could make a world’s difference. Procrastinating on your fulfillment is a recipe for burnout.
Nobody has ever regretted getting up early. In fact, most people who do rave about it. It starts their day with a full cup. Whatever you do during that time is up to you (exercise, read, make the bed, sit with your coffee in the peace and quiet), it’s all just as beneficial.
This is also why it is imperative that you find joy and fulfillment in your job. You spend arguably more time working for the success of your company than you do working for the success of your home and its occupants (i.e., partner, kid(s), animal(s), loved ones, etc.). We all have a “why”. Why we get up and why we go to work. It’s okay to be solely motivated by supporting your family while also finding a career that gives you joy and purpose.
Side note for employers – (given the information above) rewarding hustle culture and expecting your employees to work through their lunches or work outside of their scheduled hours routinely is toxic. Implying that your employees should devote more time to your company than they already do is outrageous. Stop making your employees choose between their work and their family.
For further assistance in your job search, or your search for qualified candidates, please call (518) 275-4816.
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