The work will still be thereEveryday life

unbry

The work will still be there

A short book about working long hours out of habit and calling it commitment

20 chapters12,252 wordsAbout 56 minFirst edition

What's inside

·Before you startThis is a short book and you can read it in two or three sittings. It's about one habit. You work a good deal longer than you're contracted to, most days…3 min
1Tuesday, ten to sevenIt's ten to seven on a Tuesday evening and the office is nearly empty. The cleaner is doing the far end. You're at your desk with a cold half cup of tea…3 min
2Why the hours growIf the total came as a shock, you may be wondering what's wrong with you. I don't think anything is. Long hours are the natural result of several…2 min
3"More hours, more done"The central belief behind long hours is so obvious that it hardly seems like a belief. If you work fifty-five hours, you get more done than if you work…3 min
4"I'm fine, I can handle it"You've been doing these hours for years. You're still standing and you still hit your deadlines. Some people might wilt on fifty-five hours a week, but…3 min
5"There's too much to do"This is the objection that feels unanswerable. You're not staying late for fun. The work is there, in quantity, and it has to be done by someone. If you…2 min
6"It shows I'm committed"Helen said, "You're always here. I don't know how you do it." It was meant kindly, and you took it as recognition. In your mind the hours are the proof of…3 min
7"Everyone here works like this"You may feel that your hours aren't really yours to set. It's the culture. Everyone in the department stays late, and everyone answers email in the…2 min
8"I'll catch up at the weekend"Sunday afternoon is when you get ahead. The house is quiet, nobody's emailing, and two or three hours at the kitchen table takes the edge off Monday. It…2 min
9"I'll just clear a few emails"The evening session has its own justification, separate from the long day at the office. You're not really working. You're on the sofa or at the kitchen…2 min
10"It's only for now"Very few people intend to work fifty-five hours a week for the rest of their career. If I'd asked you at any point in the last six years, you'd have told…2 min
11"But I love my job"Some readers will have felt that the last few chapters were about somebody else. You're not grinding through hours you resent. You like your work, you're…3 min
12"If I leave at five, it'll all fall apart"Behind a lot of long hours is the feeling that you're holding the place together. You're the one who knows how the rota works and spots the problem before…2 min
13What the hours cost youThe last several chapters took the beliefs one at a time. This one adds up the bill. Some of it has been mentioned already, and I'll be brief about those…3 min
14What they cost everyone elseIt's natural to think of your hours as your own business. It's your evening, given up by your own choice, and the only person paying is you. But other…3 min
15What a stop doesThe rule in the next chapter is a fixed time at which you finish work. Before you get to it, I'd like to describe what a stop does, because it's easy to…3 min
16The decisionHere's the rule I'm suggesting. I stop at a time I've chosen in advance. The work will still be there tomorrow, and I'll do it then. It has seven parts.…3 min
17Bosses, busy seasons and other hard casesIf the pressure comes from your manager. First check that it does. Many people assume an expectation that nobody has ever stated. Have the conversation in…4 min
18Tuesday againIt's a Tuesday some months on, and at twenty past five you're writing three lines on a pad. They say to finish the rota for the north team, to ring the…3 min
·NotesThis book gives general information. It isn't medical, legal or career advice, and it's no substitute for a professional who knows your situation. NHS and…5 min