There is always more work I could be doing. I’m yet to come close to clearing my to do list. And there are some things I really should have done by now, but I haven’t. Why? Because work isn’t everything. 

Don’t misunderstand me, I enjoy my work. Well, mostly! But life is more than work. And long, unsustainable working hours is something I never intend to get caught up in. I’m all for going the extra mile when there are genuinely exceptional circumstances, but not as a norm. 

I work hard, I give my all, but then I stop, despite the fact there’s much still to do. If I didn’t stop, I’d never stop, because there’s always more to do. If company deadlines can’t be met by people working reasonable hours, that, in the long term, is a recipe for disaster – for the individual and the company.

It’s not easy for many of us to stop though. We care about our work. We don’t want to let people down. And, like I said, there’s a time and a place for putting in some extra hours. But not all the time.

Having a life outside of work is vital. As in, literally life-preserving. So, consider this your permission to stop. Far more than we realise, work can wait.

–Sam

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