10 Ways to Protect Relationships and Avoid Bleeding Out for Your Organization
The higher you go, the more likely you’ll bleed out for your organization.
You’ll come to hate the job you love, if you never turn off work.
Surprise:
Sooner or later some ‘unqualified’ person will have your position.
Humility helps with work-life balance.
Define life in relational terms, not tasks.
Life is relationships.
Protecting relationships:
#1. Involve others. Tell them you’ve been spending too much time working at home. Let them know you’re learning to focus on relationships. Ask for suggestions.
#2. Schedule limited time to discuss work at home. Have fun with violations. If your spouse brings up work outside their allotted time, make them pay a penalty. Maybe it’s 30 seconds of hugs and kisses.
#3. Let your team know that you’re changing your ‘always on’ practice. (They’ll respect you.) Schedule check-in times when you’re away from work. Perhaps five minutes at the top of the hour.
#4. Schedule shutdown time. Perhaps 8 p.m. is the last time you’ll check email and texts until after breakfast.
#5.Think relationships in the morning.
- Think about how you want to show up with family and coworkers.
- Express gratitude to someone.
- Determine three people-centric goals for the day.
#6. Turn off your work cell phone. Purchase a prepaid cell phone for emergencies. Give the number to family, close friends, and select staff.
#7. Set a no Internet hour at home.
#8. Equip others to take on some aspects of your work.
#9. Designate a workspace at home, even if it’s a work-chair. Only go there to work.
#10. Turn your mind toward home when you leave work. Drop off your work baggage by the elevator. Believe me, it will be waiting for you tomorrow morning.
Which suggestions could you try in your situation?
What suggestions for turning off from work and turning on to relationships might you add?
Research: When Work Interferes with Life
AFTER NOTE: My wife just read this post and laughed. She said, “You have a lot of work to do. I’m turning your laptop off at 8 tonight.”
I choose to NOT check emails on weekends, nor vacation. My manager and my staff have my cell phone number. They can call me when it is truly urgent. They rarely ever call when I’m off.
Thanks Elizabeth. Nice! I’ve found that at least one day without appointments, emails, and external obligations is a lifesaver.
Number 10 is something I have never learned how to do. I love helping companies grow, its not a job, I often thought of it as my sport, but it is actually my ministry. I help them grow, they hire more people, the company and those more people are blessed, they spend more money in the community, …..But I need to turn it off. I will work hard on #10 so the people I do serve, get better results, and the people who matter most …my family, friends, church are more of a priority
Perfect post for me today
Thanks Mark. I couldn’t agree more. Turning off is difficult, to put it mildly. Perhaps is a habit that is developed slowly.
The top by far is 10. It took me awhile to separate the two together until “wham” something happened to me. A valuable lesson. Company will carry on without me and mus take time away from it and take care of No. ! Thank you, Dan. Perpetua
Dan, so true. I check myself with “will this make a material difference?” If the question is addressed to family and company at the same time – then for the company seldom will a few hours, a day or a weekend make a difference. For your family and your relationship with them, very often, however, even minutes of distraction could be the start of an unfortunate process of ruin. If I am not in a ‘relationsbhip fit” state, I’ll never be at my best for my work.
Happy Birthday Dan, hope you have a blinder 🙂
I work in a busy 911 center as a leader, its hard to separate work and home. Two things that I have started to do. First I tell my wife (well ahead of time) the nights I have the after hours duty. That is for when a major event occurs after hours that requires a manager of that agency to return to the center.
The second is I don’t mix work and home. WE don’t go to after hours social events that only involve my employer. I did find it is critical to communicate this to employs and management. If I don’t then they think I am a snob or not a “team player”. I have even been told by supervisor that its traditionally expected that in my position to attend these type of events. I chose not to and as long I explain its part of work/home issue, so far its been received well. Side note I started doing this about a year ago after one of post talked about this subject. Don’t recall what one but I took it to heart. Thank you.
I really enjoy all these tips! They’re do-able and encouraging. Thanks!