3 rules for better work-life balance | The Way We Work, a TED series — Transcript

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1. 0:00Transcriber: Leslie Gauthier
2. 0:00For so many of us,
3. 0:01myself included,
4. 0:02our days feel filled with a million small interruptions.
5. 0:06And this is true even of our days off.
6. 0:09Maybe you've taken a call at the beach,
7. 0:11texted your boss from the grocery store
8. 0:13or emailed a colleague while on a picnic with your family.
9. 0:17We’ve convinced ourselves that these behaviors are no big deal.
10. 0:20It's just one email.
11. 0:23But there's a real cost to these interruptions,
12. 0:26and there are smart strategies we can all take
13. 0:28to better protect our time.
14. 0:30(Music)
15. 0:32[The Way We Work]
16. 0:35These moments seem so small at the time,
17. 0:37and yet research suggests they add up to a tremendous loss.
18. 0:41The constant creep of work into our personal lives
19. 0:45can increase our stress
20. 0:46and undermine our happiness.
21. 0:48So just what is the cost?
22. 0:50In one study,
23. 0:51researchers recruited parents who were visiting a science museum with their kids.
24. 0:56Some parents were told to check their phone as much as possible;
25. 0:59others were told to check their phone as little as possible.
26. 1:02After the visit,
27. 1:03parents who used their phones reported
28. 1:05that the experience was significantly less meaningful.
29. 1:07They also felt much lonelier.
30. 1:09In another study,
31. 1:10tourists who were asked to have their phones out
32. 1:13while visiting an iconic church
33. 1:15remembered fewer details a week later.
34. 1:17And in my research,
35. 1:18employees who were paid for their performance
36. 1:20spent increasingly less time interacting with friends and family,
37. 1:24and more and more time interacting with colleagues and clients.
38. 1:28These constant interruptions come at a cost to organizations, too.
39. 1:32Companies lose 32 days of productivity each year to employee depression,
40. 1:37which is often caused by the stress and burnout of our always-on culture.
41. 1:42Despite knowing better,
42. 1:44I, too, have found myself focusing on “urgent work distractions”
43. 1:48over important life moments.
44. 1:50Most recently, I found myself texting a client
45. 1:53while in the middle of my first child’s first ultrasound ...
46. 1:57happy client,
47. 1:59guilty mom-to-be.
48. 2:00When you add up all of these moments,
49. 2:02the sum total is a life shortchanged on meaning,
50. 2:06joy,
51. 2:07connection
52. 2:08and even memory.
53. 2:09As we remake our models of work in the wake of the pandemic,
54. 2:12now is our opportunity to create a new culture that respects time.
55. 2:17And the way to make this really big change
56. 2:19is through small steps that we can take right now.
57. 2:22The first step that we need to take is to reframe rest.
58. 2:26Reflect for a moment about what you think about when you hear the word “rest.”
59. 2:31Sounds amazing, right?
60. 2:32But in my mind,
61. 2:34I immediately worry about not being productive enough
62. 2:37or letting down my colleagues.
63. 2:39When we do have time off,
64. 2:41we need to find ways in which we can enjoy the present moment
65. 2:44and savor the leisure time that we have available,
66. 2:47as opposed to seeing it as an unproductive barrier to our work.
67. 2:51One specific strategy we can take
68. 2:53is to treat our upcoming weekend like a vacation.
69. 2:56On Friday afternoon,
70. 2:57jot down how you would act and behave as if you were on a holiday.
71. 3:01Maybe you and your partner will buy a bottle of wine
72. 3:03and watch online clips of the Eiffel Tower.
73. 3:06Maybe you’ll visit a local café
74. 3:07and listen to some live music.
75. 3:09Or maybe you'll go for a long walk in the middle of the day
76. 3:12with no phone and no agenda.
77. 3:13The plan doesn't have to be expensive or extravagant.
78. 3:17Another strategy you can take is to create clear boundaries
79. 3:21for your time off.
80. 3:23Instead of saying, "I'm out of the office.
81. 3:25Feel free to Slack me whenever,”
82. 3:27say, "I'll be offline.
83. 3:29Call me only if it's urgent."
84. 3:32To uphold these personal goals,
85. 3:33work together as a team.
86. 3:35Set team goals for personal time.
87. 3:38Do it publicly,
88. 3:39collect data
89. 3:40and hold each other accountable.
90. 3:42These goals could sound like,
91. 3:44“I will not check email between 6:00 and 8:00pm;”
92. 3:47“I will have dinner with my family four nights a week;”
93. 3:49or "I will go for a jog midday."
94. 3:51Check in on your team’s progress
95. 3:53and see how everyone's doing.
96. 3:55If you or your teammates are unsuccessful,
97. 3:58work together to help accomplish personal goals.
98. 4:00Lastly, you can negotiate for more time
99. 4:03to prevent work from creeping into your personal life.
100. 4:06In business school, I teach students to negotiate for salary
101. 4:09but realize I spoke almost nothing about negotiating for more time.
102. 4:14What does this look like in practice?
103. 4:16You can ask for more time on adjustable deadlines at work.
104. 4:19If your client asks for a deliverable Monday morning,
105. 4:22ask for an extension until Tuesday afternoon
106. 4:25so you don’t find yourself working on your well-deserved weekend.
107. 4:29And don't worry too much about reputation.
108. 4:32Quality truly is the metric that matters most.
109. 4:35In my data,
110. 4:36employees who proactively asked for more time
111. 4:39reported lower levels of stress and burnout,
112. 4:41and were seen as more committed and professional by their colleagues.
113. 4:45These are small but powerful changes to not only reframe rest,
114. 4:49but to reclaim it.
115. 4:51Once you discover the profound impact that these changes can have,
116. 4:56you’ll feel empowered to demand that others respect
117. 4:59and accommodate your approach to time.
118. 5:01Maybe they’ll even feel inspired
119. 5:03to piece together the fractured moments of their lives, too.