Re-evaluate Your Time & Energy At Work

As the first week of the new year comes to an end, what have you learnt this week? Is there anything you have done out of the ordinary or like many of us, have you returned to work and are back into the usual day to day?

I was back to work and catching up with many things whilst others were on holiday. Enjoying the peace and quiet to get on with it with little or no interruptions. My to do list will never be complete as I will never catch up. There are too many pieces to each of the tasks I deal with, that I will never complete them all, this is the nature of the role. So, whilst I was ticking things off my list and getting a few things completed during this peaceful time, it occurred to me how much I invest in my work.

I’m not talking money, but time and energy. I love my job, like others it has its frustrations, but at the heart of it all, I want to do a good job and support people as needed. In order to do this, I need time and energy.

Time – there is never enough of it, but I try to do what I can within the work day. When things start to get too much, this will creep into evenings and weekends and lunch hours, but I accept it as part of my job. Particularly when up against a deadline. I noticed though, within the month or two before Christmas, it was becoming a more regular occurrence as the priority tasks were building up and many of which were time critical.

As I got started work on the 2nd of January, looking at my never ending ‘To do’ list, I made a decision, I can’t give all of me to work all of the time. I need down time as well. Although I never mind doing work in my personal time, I realised it was becoming a habit I had created. It needed to stop.

This is not where I want to be. I want to ensure my precious personal time stays my time. It doesn’t mean I don’t care about work or don’t want to complete. It is giving me the space I need to rest and recharge so I am all set for the next day and have the energy to do it.

Looking at your own work life balance or even a certain part of it. Where are your time and energy drains?

What are you doing outwith work for work? Why do you feel the need to do these tasks outside your usual working hours? Are you up against a deadline? Is this a one off? Is your manager making you do it? Perhaps you know other managers or team members are working each evening and you are feeling the pressure to do so as well.

If the tasks you are doing out of work are so important for completion and you are unable to do these during the day, then what are you focusing on during work? Are you struggling with time management or working out what your priorities are? Or are you overwhelmed, procrastinating or distracted during your work day?

If you are feeling overwhelmed as there is too much to do, then talk to your manager and ask for help. Sometimes we try to do all the work we can in a day when really, it isn’t necessary. A priority is an urgency and quite often others will view it as it must be done now, but for you it is something that can wait. As long as you are clear to the person asking when you will expect to go back to them, then have a breather. Be honest with them about the timescales. Compromise if necessary.

I can procrastinate and over the last few months, I realised I would reach for some food when I didn’t want to start a huge or complicated task. I caught myself last week doing it again. Stopped myself and took a breath and got stuck in – the task was no where near as bad as I had thought, yes it took time, but once I started, I actually got into the zone and did a lot more than I expected. Quite often it is the thought of starting rather than the actual task which is daunting.

So when you find yourself procrastinating or distracting yourself away from your important tasks. Stop, take a deep breath and give yourself 10-15 minutes to get started and see where it takes you.

I always think back to a time, before computers and technology and what it must have been like working in HR. There were likely the same people issues, but things worked at a much slower pace. No one was expecting you to reply to 50-100 letters in a day or have a to do list as long as your arm. So why do we try to do this with emails or projects or tasks? We live in a ‘now’ society so we need to manage others expectations, and give ourselves a break.

This week as we move into the 2nd week of January, why not re-evaluate where you spend your time and energy at work and if you are continuing it outside of work. Think about what you could do less off or more of during the day to give you your time back in the evening and at weekends.

Your life is filled with time and energy. It disappears in the blink of an eye and we can never get it back. So grasp your own personal time and use your energy for the things you love when your work day/week is complete.

Thank you for reading, have a great week.

Look after you. Love Emma xx