work/life balance

In coaching conversations I am hearing that people are working longer hours now than before the pandemic. Work pressure seems to be higher, with smudged boundaries between work and home life for those working from home. Many are resting less and feeling more tired and close to burnout in some cases. Some feel that they are about to go over the cliff of mental illness.

Where do you find yourself? When did you last work “only” 8 hours in a day? When last did you take a whole weekend off? Are you keeping a balance between rest, restoration and work?

A few years ago, after a particularly intense few months, we went away for a holiday. Despite spending considerable time resting and sleeping, I returned feeling just as tired as before. This is when I realised that just “doing nothing” as in “resting” might be necessary for some of my down time, but did not restore and revitalize me. I needed to be more intentional about the way that I rested.