I work twelve hours a day, generally 7:30am – 7:30pm. I take some little stuff home here and there to get done in the evening. On weekends I bring a little more home, sometimes it gets done, or partially done, or sometimes it never leaves the briefcase. The Blackberry is on 24/7/365, unless I’m flying.
Opening a building is almost like having two full time jobs simultaneously. Everything you need to do once you’re open needs to get done (finance, scheduling, etc.), but at the same time you need to do all of the things to build a venue (construction meetings, purchasing, hiring, etc.) . It’s a daunting task and sometimes I get overwhelmed, with anxiety and panic setting in. The last few days have been rough like that.
And yet I feel guilty taking any time for myself. Guilty when I carve out a few hours to watch the World Cup final, or fire up one of the 50+ DVR’ed programs stored, or take an afternoon for one of the City Manager’s off-site work sessions (typically held at local golf course). Guilty if I’m not the first person in the trailer in the morning or the last person to leave at night. Guilty that I'm not working hard enough. I get home at night, after a stop at some grocery store or fast food joint for some prepared meal, and crash on the couch. Most days the mind doesn’t stray too far from work. I think, “Great, I got a lot done today… but I didn’t get enough done today.”
The most ironic part of it all is that I have been asked to be a panelist on a Work/Life Balance session during a national convention next week. Right now I’m about as balanced as Fox News. Maybe I can be a real life example of what happens when you can’t balance the two? At least I’ll have some challenges to talk about!
Bob,
ReplyDeleteIt would seem that most people around you see you as a pretty amazing guy, who can balance it all (balanced as Fox News....I love it) and that is most likely exactly how you want them to see you. You'll do great being a panelist at the National Convention because you can walk the walk.
The problem it seems is what it is doing to you on the inside, an the guilt that you should not be feeling. What price are you paying and how much of your true self are you compromising? I only ask because I struggle with this myself and I keep waiting for the time when I fall off that proverbial cliff. We can only do so much, before something has to give.
Take care and good luck with your speaking engagement.
xxxxxx
Be honest. It will be refreshing for the audience.
ReplyDeleteLoved your comment about Fox News, Just Bob. Very nice. I do hope you can find that balance between life and work without the guilt. You work hard and definitely deserve some Just Bob time without feeling bad about it. Take care and good luck on the panel. Hang in there buddy.
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