Avoid work overload
Of course you take pride in how hard you work. For your own sake, however, and for the good of the family and the farm, it may be time to inject some balance
| 6 min read
Photo: Freeimages.com/Jesse Therrien
You work hard because you know the benefits are worth it. But are they? If you don’t take care to recharge, says Beverly Beuermann-King, a stress and resiliency specialist in Little Britain, Ont., sustained overwork can lead to reduced productivity, failed relationships, an increase in injuries, and physical and mental illness. In case after case, as well, it leads to burnout.
Women in particular are in danger of getting stretched too thin, Beuermann-King says, because when they take on expanded management roles on the farm, they continue to do the bulk of childcare and housework.
Pat Katz, a well-being strategist in Saskatoon, reports that she finds the overloaded feeling is becoming all too common. “The first thing I tell people is: ‘it’s not just you,’” Katz says.
First off, Katz recommends looking at the source of our stress. Is it the result of jobs we generate ourselves, or is it because we’re trying to meet other people’s expectations? To live a life in balance, it’s necessary to look at all three levels of our lives: individual, team and work culture, she says.
For instance, at the individual level we can set boundaries around our volunteer commitments. “You can have a Sanity Policy that states you don’t sit on more than two boards,” says Katz.
Beuermann-King agrees it’s important to sign up for volunteer commitments carefully. “Choose the ones that you enjoy, not the ones you feel obligated to do.”
Katz also stresses the importance of practising self-care. “There will always be more to do, but you need to look after yourself, or you will not be thinking clearly,” she says. What does self-care look like to you? A stroll after dinner? Time to play with your kids? “Build it into your schedule even if it seems impossible,” says Katz.
Beuermann-King agrees that downtime is a necessity. We need to press the “pause button” during the day, she says. Otherwise we end up dealing non-stop with issue after issue. Instead she recommends taking regular breaks to stretch, breathe, walk around, relax and reflect. Be more mindful of what you’re eating too, she adds. “Don’t just gulp it down.”
Staying connected to the higher purpose of our actions can also reduce stress. Instead of being irritated about having to cook dinner for your family, Katz suggests seeing it as a privilege and an act of love for your family.
Being aware of your self-talk is helpful too, continues Katz. Avoid the tendency to jump to the worst conclusion, she says. Change the ongoing lament, “I’ll never get this done,” to, “I will get the important things done.”
Be intentional with your time, adds Beuermann-King. Sometimes planning to “quickly check your email” turns into hours spent mindlessly at the computer but without much to show for it.
Turn the TV off so you can go for a walk or a bike ride with your kids, she continues. That way you accomplish two goals at once: spending more time with your kids and getting some exercise.
Too often people are slaves to their technology, says Beuermann-King who has seen parents on their phones while on vacation at Disney World. “They’re not really giving their attention to their kids,” she points out. Her advice is to limit yourself to checking email morning and night while on vacation.
Don’t let perfectionism get in the way of a fulfilling life, says Beuermann-King. “That might mean settling for a house that is less clean so you can have more time with your kids,” she explains.
Philadelphia writer and time management expert, Laura Vanderkam dispels the myth that women “can’t have it all,” in her new book, I know how she does it. She interviewed more than 100 women with young children who were earning in excess of $100,000 per year to gather data on their time-use patterns.
Vanderkam found that these women were working an average of 44 hours per week and were still sleeping almost eight hours per night. This left them 70 non-working hours for other things.
To maximize time with their kids, many of the women worked what Vanderkam dubbed “a split shift.” These women would leave work at 5 p.m. so they could have dinner with their kids. Then they would work an hour or two after the kids went to bed. They also tended to work part of the weekend, usually Saturday mornings and Sunday nights, which also allowed them to work shorter days during the week.
In line with Beuermann-King’s recommendation, these women were intentional with their time. For example, they only watched four to five hours of TV per week, restricting themselves to shows they actually enjoyed instead of mindlessly watching for hours.
If you want to use your time more efficiently, Vanderkam recommends logging your time for a week or two. Once you are more aware of how you are currently spending your time, you’ll be in a better position to make changes.
To assess your current satisfaction with how you’re spending your time, Beuermann-King recommends ranking each of the 10 major life areas. These include:
- Family
- Friends
- Career
- Health (includes sleep, fitness, doctors’ appointments, meals)
- Personal growth (schooling, professional development)
- Spirituality
- Fun and relaxation
- Romance
- Community (volunteering)
- Physical environment (chores)
This will allow you to focus on the areas of your life most in need of improvement.
When the demands on our time are made by others, Katz suggests actually tackling the issue by asking, “How can we support each other on the farm team?” She recommends having a collective conversation around priorities. “Some things may need to go on the back burner until later,” she says.
Delegate tasks respectfully, she continues. “Don’t assume everyone has time to take on more work. Ask first if they will need to reset priorities.” At the same time, she recommends not agreeing to more work until you’ve thought it through. Instead, it’s better to say, “I need to think about how this fits; I’ll get back to you.”
It’s also important to ask questions before taking on more work. Try to get an accurate estimate of how long something will take, she says. “Especially if you tend to be overly optimistic,” she adds.
At the broader scale, a farm organization can create policies and a culture that supports everyone. What kind of policies can be put in place? Flex time? Time for elder care? Fitness? Play? What about ensuring people take their vacation time? “It’s an investment in health and productivity,” says Katz.
As the need for time to recharge becomes increasingly apparent, some organizations are building in planned time-outs, says Katz. This is a time to slow down, reconnect and reorganize. “If these aren’t happening naturally,” she says, “then you need to create them.”
