Trading-off to a better life

This post comes with a 1-day delay.

The person I used to be would never allow such adjournment. I would have worked extra hours to pledge the commitment I have with my 4.540 subscribers.

The person I am today knows better.

I have a trading account for my work-life balance. This means I constantly trade-off between time spent at work and time spent on non-work activities.?

For those who work from home, engaging in multiple activities in the same space can make it harder for the brain to distinguish work from leisure.?

I guess most of us felt that ambiguity when coronavirus sent us to a lasting home-office situation. In a first moment we were happy because we gained time back from commuting to work, but sooner we realised we missed that space and time to transition from home-life to work and work-life to home.?

When I gave up a traditional career to dedicate myself to trading, I created a schedule for myself to assure I was really conquering the work-life balance I was struggling to find. It wasn’t always easy as it is very hard to give up an addiction:

I was a workaholic, and it took me months to set free from the long working hours obsession.

Now that I am in this position for almost a year I can share some pieces of advise:

1.????Find a job/occupation that you love

My personal story is this: the more I progressed in my so-called career the more miserable I felt. I was doing exactly what I wanted, with the position I dreamt of, but I was not happy. I don’t believe it is possible to find a job you are so passionate about you would do it for free.?But I know it is possible to do something that pays for your bills and leaves you time to endure in activities that can make you happy.

If you work less hours you will potentially earn less money, therefore the trade-off you have to consider is how many of your monthly expenses can you reduce or remove so you can embrace an occupation with a lower income?

2.????Accept there is no ‘perfect’ work-life balance

You will never have a perfect schedule. For instance, this week I couldn’t find time to deliver “Trading news” on Monday. But I gave up struggling with an inelastic 24 hour-day: I sometimes don’t have time for everything, so I prioritise.

The trade-off is not always easy: some days, I focus more on work, but on other days, especially in this holiday season, I devote more time and energy to other activities. Balance is achieved over time, not each day.

3.????Don’t be afraid to unplug

Sometimes we need to cut ties with the outside to recover and gain space for other thoughts and ideas to emerge. We are so immerse in the digital world and so accustomed to constant connectivity that unplugging has become a “non-normal” situation. It is almost as if when you are not connected you don’t exist.

The trade-off starts with a willingness to shut down your computer, put your mobile phone in flight mode and just engage in activities that you used to do before you had a FaceBook account or had a mobile phone that was an extension of your laptop.

4.????Set boundaries

I know from experience that you can't avoid thinking about work when you shut down your computer. I also know it is hard to escape working overtime when you have deadlines and on-going projects. But, as hard as those might seem, you must set some boundaries if you wish to have a better work-life balance. Accepting new projects and responsibilities is a never ending story that will only make you work more hours under more pressure.

The trade-off starts with setting specific work hours. In the moment you define when you will work and when you will stop working, you will gain the extra time you need for your other life. You must convince yourself that if goals aren’t met in the time that was expected, the problem isn’t you or your capacity to deliver; the problem is the deadline was too short.

5.????Start small

We are in that time of the year when we make bold New Year’s resolutions. Normally, we aim for life-changing decisions, but we give up those brave purposes by the end of January. Behavioral change is a process. This means fundamental changes are incremental and they will hardly be achieved with a radical approach. The secret is to make something so simple and so tiny that you have no excuse not to do it.

That being said, the trade-off is to define steps that are small enough so you can stick to them, but daring enough so they can lead you to a visible change in your habits, and ultimately discover a better balance between your work and the life you can have when you are not working.

I will be on well deserved vacation until January the 9th.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a balanced 2023!