The Revised Workaholic

I grew up in a family that LOVES to work, my father being the most prominent example of our familial “grind”. He was (atop being the patriarch of our extended family) a business owner, an educator, a social worker, a documentarian and a practicing psychologist, all at once-- and a self-proclaimed "workaholic". But let’s be real about the situation he was in: he was a man of color, born in the 1930s in rural North Carolina who pursued an education and career through the 50s and 60s-- if he wanted anything, he had to work harder than most to get it. He received his PhD before turning 35 and, at that point, was choosing between executive roles at Universities based on where he could simultaneously build both a school for gifted children and start a business (both of which he did in Washington, D.C.). Working was his lifestyle, but he owned it with a positive connotation. "Workaholic" can be interpreted in many different ways by different people, beyond its typical descriptions of a:

1. Person who works compulsively at the sacrifice of anything that is not 'work', including family, friends and personal health, for the sake of being active in the capacity of 'work';
2. Person who works many hours and jobs because they have to have a work-filled life due to financial, societal or personal needs; or
3. Person who is in pursuit of a goal and is driven to activate all hours and efforts toward that goal, placing this goal above the others along the way.

My father was mostly the latter, and my siblings and I inherited (or were engrained with?) his fervor and hustle. I even remember moments when I was younger, I would beam with pride if someone used the term "workaholic" in reference to me. It felt as if my efforts were being recognized, that my accomplishments came with the validity of spinning all of the plates and none of them falling while the (non-existent) crowd watched in awe. But I underestimated what truly went into that "workaholic" title. Much like my father, the satisfaction from the feeling of working isn't just me doing work-about-work; it was bringing my work-self into projects I did outside of the office and, equally, taking learnings from my extra projects into at-work challenges, allowing the two spaces to leverage each other for wider success. The variety of things that I am constantly working on make all of the projects I pursue, both within and outside of work walls, that much more rewarding.

The heft of 2020 weighed on me much like I’ve heard it's weighed on others. As you also likely experienced, my last 365+ days were devoid of the out-of-office engagements I'd come accustomed to. Then, I came to realize something else: though I've started new positions over the years, the only time I’ve taken time off in-between professional roles was the two years that I attended Business School over a decade ago-- and, even during that period, I still held jobs and sought career-developing roles alongside my class schedule (and party nights, of course). So 2020 passed without the self-inspiring moments I'd once effortlessly relied upon -- no pet projects, less variety in my daily experiences/personal interactions and limited travel (my other muse). Instead, I discovered my workaholic self was just working continuously at the job stuffs, more like the #1 profile described, and I couldn't recognize in the moment that the monolithic style was, well, not working for me.

Pursuing my personal projects outside of work is something that I highly value and had always done; yet, in a year where I had no commute time, remote work was supposed to provide more access to my "home life" and travel was blockaded to only places within a gas tank's distance, I somehow missed even starting my side projects! HOW!?! Sure, in my "free time" I did have a few fun adventures, added some new culinary skills, read more books than usual and now have strongly-formed and active dialogue with my cats. Also, it's likely the projects I typically treasure and prioritize could have one time or another been swapped for something as simple as a walk outside or a drink at that outdoor bar with strong heaters and socially-distant seating for 4 (classic quarantine sanity trade-off, amirite?).

My "revised workaholic" path to self-fulfillment is satisfied by a number of projects occurring at once, not the monolith I slogged through during the pandemic period. For me to be in my ideal workaholic zone, I need the creative zone to be active, as well-- it brings balance to my daily footwork of being a corporate professional who can also be agile, collaborative and fast-acting to bring ideas to life. I won’t detail the long list of distractions through the last year that contributed to what I soon recognized was an imbalance for me, but I do acknowledge the need for [insert: mental, emotional, expressive, personal, developmental] space for my full workaholic to be in motion. This may sound simple to some, but it is quickly forgotten and easily overlooked by those with a drive similar to mine or my father's where work naturally has less of a boundary within our lives. I have to be intentional about maintaining balance in order to keep my internal hustle-motor well-oiled and high-performing, especially during these restrictive times.

"Workaholic" can still be a positive term-- if you are working on the right things for you. During a time when time is often irrelevant (and sometimes flat out confusing-- remember that Thursday that felt like Monday but was actually Tuesday?) and routines are shuffled (who knew leaving an office actually served a mental purpose), I worked hard on many things in 2020, but not the things that keep me balanced and at best. In his prime and beyond, my father worked often, too, but he worked on the things he knew were important and fulfilling, and relied on himself to course-correct in inevitable moments of imbalance. So, in my Timberlake voice, "I'm bringing balance baaack... you ready?"

For the first time since being a teenager, I am going to take time off between my past role and the exciting new opportunity to join Aaron, Jon, Erik, Tiffany, Jen, Jen, Katie, Kate and the continually growing team of professionals at Box as a member of their XLT. With exception to any currently active Consulting and Advisory engagements I'm already scheduled for, I’ll be taking the time to recoup my abandoned projects of 2020, kick off some new ones and hopefully bring one or two to their final stages! Then, after a few weeks pass, I'll be charged up for a new challenge in an industry & space that I love, and with a company & team I admire and am excited to work with. Box has a wonderful culture that supports and encourages bringing a fully-working self to the daily pursuit of personal, team and company goals-- my kinda place! (Side note: I'd heard this before but have now experienced it firsthand, even before my first official day. Kudos to their Recruiting team carrying the torch high for the culture!!)

So here’s to all of us who are in pursuit of our fullest selves and to soon achieving that goal-- however that looks and feels best for your "revised workaholic"-- all the while making our families, our communities and most importantly ourselves proud. 

Keep your balance, folks.