Here’s what my day used to look like back in my workaholic days:
- Get up to a 5am alarm. No, not for the gym but for work.
- Shower and get ready
- Walk to the train station at 5.45am
- Sit on the train drinking a coffee and reading my emails on my Blackberry. The average number of emails I’d get overnight was 120. Yes, 120 unread emails between going home yesterday, and logging on today……
- Arrive at work in the city at 6.30am
- Heat up a quick bowl of oats to eat at my desk whilst also sipping a coffee I bought on the way in. Do this concurrently with setting up a conference room with a laptop and audio visual equipment for a 7am meeting with my overseas colleagues
- Chair the 7am meeting
- Then go to an 8am meeting
- Then a 9am meeting
- Then a 10am meeting
- Spend an hour at my desk getting all the work done that’s come out of the 4 meetings I’ve had already today
- At noon or so, I’d run across the road and buy a quick sandwich or take-away Thai and bring it back to my desk and eat it whilst I was still working.
- I’d then try to get a bit more work done, before heading into another meeting at 2pm.
- I’d then (finally) get about 2 hours straight to work again, through to ‘home time’.
- I’d rarely leave before 5.
- Most likely I’d leave at 5.30/6pm. I’d grab a take-away or a microwave meal on the way home.
- I’d eat as soon as I got home, chat to my husband on the phone (back then we didn’t even get to live together, given how much I needed to work, and given he lived a 2 hour commute from my office……)
- I’d perhaps fit in an hour of TV, then go to bed – not sleep at all (3-4 hours would be a brilliant night’s sleep) – then get up and do it all again.
All day, every day.
I’d travel every 4-5 months or so, across to my teams in the US. I’d do the flight in my own time (i.e. over the weekend) – arrive exhausted but then have to get up bright eyed and bushy tailed for an early Monday start. I’d do a week ‘flat chat’ in Chicago then a week in Vegas. Fly home ‘on my own time ‘ again, then get one day off in lieu before returning the office.
Don’t get me wrong. I adored my job. LOVED IT! But I was tired.
Fast forward to now.
I’m in a bit of a holding pattern right now as I prepare to finish up at my day job next week. Long story which I’ll save for another time. Regardless, here’s what I’m at now.
- Get up to a 5.30am alarm, but this time it’s for the gym (which I’ve established at home, no less). I get an hour to workout!
- Shower and get ready at 6.30
- Catch the 7.10am train. Relax on the train whilst eating my healthy breakfast.
- Work from 8am.
- First meeting is not until after 9.30am (compare that to the ‘old days’!)
- I block off at least 2 hours every day in my calendar so that people cannot book me for meetings during those times. This is non-negotiable.
- I eat lunch wherever I want. Yes, sometimes it’s at my desk on busy days, but other days it’s not.
- I leave at around 4.00 – 4.30pm
- I get home and do 1-1.5 hours worth of work on my Certificate III/IV of Fitness and on my business.
- I take time to prepare a healthy meal.
- I take an hour or so to read, and an hour or so for TV.
- I head to bed and sleep at least 7 hours every night.
How’d I make such a change? Well it certainly was life changing but it’s the little things that count. I’ve come up with so many ways to really put a stop to the workaholism and start living a life for me.
For example:
- I block off the first hour of the day and will not go to meetings until 9.30am or after
- I block off 2 hours of the day to do work instead of being in meetings gaining more and more work!
- I take time to get away from my desk for lunch if I can
- I mentor and nourish my team and delegate responsibilities where possible
- I exercise and eat better. This therefore puts me in a better frame of mind, I feel better about myself, I’m able to cope more with the day to day
- I sleep better
- I consume less caffeine and less fast food
Just to name a few.
What’s your day like? Have you made changes to your routine so as to live a healthier life? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Christina,
You are so on target. There are thousands of us that are or have been on that treadmill. We need or want your information. Thank you for sharing so candidly. I’m taking two or your ideas to simplify today—exercise more and delegate. Looking forward to your new course.
Thanks so much Kingsley. I love your encouragement, it’s fantastic! Good luck with the exercise and delegation – you’ll feel much better for it, I’m sure!