Brian Brady
Last Wednesday November 25th was National Go Home on Time Day, an initiative of Thinktank at The Australia Institute which serves as a timely reminder that Australians are working longer hours every year to the detriment of our families, relationships and even our physical and mental health.
Whether it is due to financial pressures, job security, increased workload or a plethora of other reasons, Australians are working over 2 billions hours of unpaid overtime each year. It seems we are all feeling the need to work harder and for longer.
I too am guilty of working longer hours than I should, with owning a large agency; being on several boards as well as having a cherished family that I want to spend time with, I have definitely experienced the conflict of a work / life balance.
Now however I am a strong advocate of having an “Ideal Day” system, whereby I schedule in those activities that bring me joy, peace of mind and relaxation. Once scheduled, these activities become non-negotiable – regardless of what arises.
As we find technology drawing our home and work lives closer together with less-defined lines between the two, I believe we are going to have to be more diligent with our time to truly enjoy those things that we are passionate about.
So I hope that you went home on time last Wednesday, and I think that we should all make an effort to not only go home on time the other days of the working year, but also make sure that we schedule in the other parts of our lives that are just as important as work.