Live to work OR work to live

[-Doug-]

Is it just me or has society become a place where work comes first - at the expense of time with the family and free time? For me, as a school administrator, my job use to be very 9-5. They even said in the interview that they didn't expect me to work late. Well, we have a new upper administration and the mood is now work above all else!

My son recently joined the Tiger Cubs (beginning Boy Scouts) and I want to help out. I can't though because I can't guarantee my free time after work.

Has this sort of thing happened to anyone else?

[SLYinKC]

Most definitely.  The 40 hour work week seems to be a thing of the past.  It really takes a concious decision and alot of effort to try to keep things in balance.  And even then, there is only so much you can do.  Two income households don't help the situation either.

[Robmeister]

Piggybacking on y'alls' thoughts:

You can work 40 hours a week, but you'll attach a stigma to yerself of NOT being a go-getter.....NOT worthy of serious consideration for the next promotion or significant pay increase.

That's one of the reasons it is indeed a "thing of the past."

[-Doug-]

Piggybacking on y'alls' thoughts:

You can work 40 hours a week, but you'll attach a stigma to yerself of NOT being a go-getter.....NOT worthy of serious consideration for the next promotion or significant pay increase.

That's one of the reasons it is indeed a "thing of the past."

I agree with that. It is a balancing act of doing your job to the best of your ability and making a good impression and not burning yourself out and sacrificing your personal time.

I just wish that a person was defined by what the do as a person and not only by what they do for a job and how well they do it.

[schro]

Depends on the line of work I guess. If you are paid by the hour, I have no problem with a person that does 40 hours a week. Since I'm salaried, and I have clients depending on my work, I work until I get the job done. Sometimes I'll work 70 hours in a week. On the flip side, if the workload is light, I'll work 20. Yet, my base pay is the same.

From a work/family life standpoint, it's clearly a balancing act. I'm very involved in my kids' activities & school. I attend all their soccer games (unless both are scheduled at the same time, like this upcoming Saturday  ) and go to their school functions whenever possible, including scheduling business trips around them.

We moved to a lower cost of living area and the Lovely Mrs. Schro (at my suggestion) left her rather high paying job to raise our kids once they were born. All in all, I would say we have a pretty good balance in our life. But, I think our situation is rare these days, which is sad.

[Robmeister]

Way to go, Schro !

We've recently had to resort to the both of us working to get "stabilized"..... and it stings.....especially for Mrs. Meister.

Poor thing's maternal instincts are being squelched.

However, it is just temporary (May 2007 to [not too much longer])

Gratefully, we haven't really missed much as far as their activities......and with her working days and me working nights, the kids are with one of us on any given day.

Way to go, Schro, for sacrificing added income for the sake of the kids

Mrs. Meister and I spoke the other day and agreed that if it was JUST about income, standard of living and keeping up with the "Jones," we could both work all the damn time and make booookoh bucks.

So it IS a balancing act.

[Tyler]

Great topic Doug.

When I graduated from college, on of our business professors handed this out to us to stress the importance of a life/work balance.  It was written by a CEO of Coca Cola.

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air.
You name them-work, family, health, friends, and spirit, and
you're keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that
work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.

But the other four balls: family, health, friends and spirit
are made of glass. If you drop one of these,
they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same.

You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?
Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you. Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time,
you live ALL the days of your life. Don't give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.
Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give it. The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly. The best way to keep love is to give it wings. Don't forget that a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going. Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily. Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a gift:
That's why we call it - The Present.

I have always tried to live by this since I started life in "the real world" and is one of the reasons I left the last boss/company I was working for.  I'm fortunate that the leadership at the current company I'm working for has a family first attitude.

[Robmeister]

...I'm fortunate that the leadership at the current company I'm working for has a family first attitude.

This is VERY fortunate and quite rare

[nomad]

...I'm fortunate that the leadership at the current company I'm working for has a family first attitude.

This is VERY fortunate and quite rare

I agree Rob I don't know of any company that I've worked for that cared as much about its employees as much as the bottom line.

[andrew]

I gave up working for large corporations (as an employee) 12 years ago and became self-employed.  I was working long hours regularly while working for big companies (13 yrs).  Now, my company contracts with big corporations but I don't have to put up with all of their internal BS.  I work long hours now, but I can bill for the time and I really love my work.  It's actually my hobby as much as work.

[nomad]

I gave up working for large corporations (as an employee) 12 years ago and became self-employed.  I was working long hours regularly while working for big companies (13 yrs).  Now, my company contracts with big corporations but I don't have to put up with all of their internal BS.  I work long hours now, but I can bill for the time and I really love my work.  It's actually my hobby as much as work.

some day brother

its my dream to be self employed

[shakf]

I work as a field engineer for a software house and my place of work is from home. My work is fairly flexible and salary is fixed. Sometimes my work including travel time goes above 37.5 hours and sometimes it is only 23 hours. That is that nature of my job. There is a lot of give and take in my work so I can't complain. So I get to spend a great deal of time doing the things I want to do.

[JDog]

Having a young family I hope that I can one day have a career that doesnt take all of my time away so I am able to watch my kid grow up and share life with my better half.

My current place of employment I dont see as a permanent career. It pays quite well. I earn more now after 7 months of employment than I did after 4 years at my last job. I sit on my rear end most of the day selling telecommunications equipment and occassionaly I help people fix it when things go wrong. I'm close to home, Bring home a good pay and my wife gets to take a full year off work to raise our little boy.

I cannot complain but 10 years from now, I sure hope I am not where I am and that I own my own  home. May have to return to the US to do that though as Sydney real estate is heading to the median house value around 700k-1m

[Robmeister]

...I really love my work.  It's actually my hobby as much as work.

There ain't no arguing with that, right there, there ain't   

Congrats 

[VFRWolf]

I work 40 hours a week, the rest is mine and my families time.  When I first started in the IT industry, I worked 60 or more hours, no compensation, no recognition, just long hours, little rest, no time for me and mine.  Decided the money wasn't worth it.