Weekly Wrap-up ... On Overwork

Back in 2012, I used to work an average of 80 hours per week (sometimes more). And after a day of hard work, I would still have the energy to go out with friends to party it up with tequila shots or Jaeger bombs.

This week, I think I worked a good 70 hours across different time zones and it was a bit brutal. And not because of the workload itself, but because of the other priorities that now eat up a big chunk of my time and energy.

Back in 2012, I was 25 years old, did not have kids, and glorified the "hustle" culture to get to the top. Whatever it took to get that next job, next promotion, next pay raise, next bonus, whatever. Getting to the next level was the only priority.

Fast forward 10 years, I'm 35 years old (glad I can do math), have a beautiful wife, two little girls, a dog, and a family living in Mexico that also requires attention via FaceTime.

The truth is that my other roles (husband, dad, son) start before 8 am and end up quite past 5 p.m.

Clocking in that insane amount of hours after being woken up every 2-3 hours at night by a newborn proved to be unsustainable. By the end of the week, I felt like a zombie staring at interminable spreadsheets and became irritable with some of my colleagues. In a nutshell, it just wasn't the best "me".

It also created this dependency with my laptop and my phone. I was constantly checking my work email like if it was TikTok. F*ing depressing.

How to course correct this? The million dollar question.

I don't have a definite answer to this. Only suggestions and things I will be trying in the next few weeks.

From the simple/cliche ones such as declining non-value added meetings, prioritizing creative/higher focus activities in the morning, Pomodoro technique, etc ...

... To some more sophisticated ones such as creating hard boundaries around my time. Some examples that come to mind are to make a non-modifiable reservation at a restaurant (date?), taking the kids to the park at a certain time, taking/picking them up from daycare, get a non-work phone (even a dumbphone? ... seems like having an old-school Nokia is a trend these days), putting the laptop in the basement and taking it out until the next morning. There's quite a few good tips on Reddit.

If you happen to read this and have a suggestion, please drop it in the comments.

Big takeaways this week were the massive importance of mental health, balancing priorities, and enjoying every minute of every role we have (husband, dad, friend, brother, etc.).

I realized it's very easy to fall into the trap of letting work overtake other parts of your life. So, this is where being intentional is key.

Leave you with a classic quote from a big-shot corporate leader that I love:

Take care of yourselves and wish you a fantastic weekend!

-A