Burning the Midnight Oil at Work: Pride or Shame?
During the early stages of my career, I was a workaholic. It was not at all unusual for me to work 70-plus hour weeks. I did it because I wanted to advance in my career and I wanted to help my company grow. I was proud of it too.
Back then, it was “cool” to work long hours, brag about how little sleep you got, and tell your coworkers how much caffeine you could down to make it through the day.
Though the tide (thankfully) seems to be turning, and there’s more emphasis on self-care nowadays, we still have a long way to go. Working long into the night is still commonplace for many companies.
I believe, in order to be more effective at work, we have to make a conscious effort to cut down on how often we burn the midnight oil - and how frequently, as leaders, we set this expectation for our teams.
Of course, there will always be days or weeks when it is necessary to put in some extra hours to complete an important project. In those cases, it should be the expectation to step up to help the team or client out. However, those periods or projects should be temporary.
The principle here being: Quality is far more important than quantity when it comes to work.
Here are two quick/easy checkpoint questions to ask yourself:
If you told someone you worked until midnight for the past week, would that be a source of pride or shame?
If someone on your team told you they’ve been putting in 18-hour days, would you be happy? Or would you be embarrassed they’ve had to do that?
The answers to these simple questions will help you make proactive adjustments in your schedule.
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About The Author
Emily Sander is an ICF-certified leadership coach with more than 15 years of experience in the business world and the author of Hacking Executive Leadership. She’s been featured in several print publications, online articles, and podcasts, including CEO Today Magazine, Leading to Fulfillment, and Leadership Powered by Common Sense.
Emily has a passion for helping business leaders reach their full potential. Go here to read her story from seasoned executive to knowledgeable coach. If you want to send Emily a quick message, then visit her contact page here.