Six years ago this month, we published one of our most popular newsletters: Keep Work Fun! We suggested using the opportunities that travel allows to visit museums, experience local cuisine, and enjoy nature. The newsletter’s popularity reflected the unfortunate tendency many of us have to stay in our hotels and order room service. It was a gentle reminder that our industry afforded us many opportunities to have fun.
And just as we were ready to embrace fun, everything stopped. No more travel, no more interesting meals, no more work. Revenue streams dried up. Without a doubt, our industry was, if not the hardest, then one of the hardest hit. You can’t think about fun when you fear things will never be the same. Some people developed other projects; some switched to other industries. But many people were afraid—a fear that led to stress in an already stressful situation.
But then the work came back—and it came back with a vengeance. We told ourselves we couldn’t think about fun because we were too stressed with all the work we had. We got busy! Did we ever get busy! We were relieved that the industry was back, that we had work, but we were super stressed. Maybe we were used to stress after the pandemic, but rather than experiencing a sense of relief and gratitude, we just shifted the stress about not working to the stress of working.
In case you’re wondering, surveys confirm that 80% of workers feel stressed, while 40% are extremely stressed, caused by factors such as long hours, interpersonal conflicts, and frustration.
What follows stress?
Stress led to ‘busyness.” We needed to not only be busy, but to look busy. We put in long hours whether it made sense or not. We were afraid not to look busy. What would people think? The people we manage? Our clients? Our colleagues? Busyness became a status symbol. We probably knew that all the busyness didn’t lead to increased productivity, but we were afraid to slow down. Yes, afraid. Again. And if we were responsible for other people, they mirrored our busyness. Busyness isn’t a virtue, and it’s way past time that we stopped acting as if it is. It takes up the time we could spend on productive activity—and HAVING FUN!
I’m not exempt from this description. I can get crazy busy and forget that busyness is not productivity, and I won’t be productive if I’m constantly exhausted and overworked. So, I asked myself:
How do I get back to keeping work fun?
- For starters, I need to plan, if only for a day off here and there, even during the craziest season. I need to manage my time and recharge. Planning for fun is as valid as planning for a meeting.
- According to Ellen Hendrickson, in her book How to Be Yourself, the signs of burnout are emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of focus. We feel we’ll be judged if we stop the crazy, unproductive busyness. Efficiency is not productivity.
- Learn to delegate. Honestly, we all find it hard to delegate. We like to be in control. Even more reason to practice.
- Cut down on screen time. Easier said than done, you say? Your productive hours, not to mention your mental health, depend on it. Yes, I suppose that includes my phone.
- Spend time with people—I have a wonderful family and great people in my life. There are also people with whom I share interests outside of work.
- Develop healthy eating habits. Admittedly, COVID wreaked havoc with that, but it’s time to clean up our acts.
- Get enough sleep. Enough said. You don’t get bonus points for running on four hours a night.
- Exercise! Get out in nature. Ride a bike. Take a walk. Join a dance group. Move!
I’m working on it. At the end of last year, I went camping with a group of high school buddies. I traveled to the US so my son could up his soccer game. We all have to define ‘fun’ for ourselves. Fun is not one size fits all. What feeds our souls, restores our equilibrium, and quiets our minds? Yes, we’re grateful that work is back, but It’s not about how much time we spend working but how productive we are—and productivity is the by-product of knowing how to recharge and have fun.
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