Sustainable Ambition Forum - 06.30.21

 
 

Building on our last newsletter, we’re coming back to the topic of Re-writing Your Re-Entry. In Part 2, we want to look at how to structure our work and our time.

The modern view of time is a construct, just like so many elements of our world. And those views of time can often shackle us to unproductive ways of being and living our lives. Do we need to work 9 to 5, 5 days a week? Do we need to work 50+ weeks a year in the U.S. Is busy-ness the way to get ahead, or is it the pathway to ill health.

What if we were to look at time another way? I’m re-reading one of my favorite books, “Einstein’s Dreams,” by Alan Lightman. It’s a clever and fascinating examination of views on time (e.g., what if time went backwards, what if we experienced time at different paces, what if time existed only in the present). What if we were to challenge ourselves to see time differently (e.g., this is an event I should speed up, this is an event where we need to slow it down, this is a time to pause, this is a time to invest in the quality of the time rather than the quantity)?

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One place to start is to track where your time goes. Below I offer a practice in time tracking. It’s not something you have to do forever, but gaining information about where your time goes is power. Tracking your time can help you get a better handle on what’s capturing your attention and whether or not you are spending time aligned to your priorities and values and what’s important to you.

There are several other Round-Up resources that can help you think about how you might manage your time differently.

I also want to highlight my conversation with Mala Singh, Chief People Officer of Electronic Arts in Episode #15 of The Sustainable Ambition podcast, featured below. I had the pleasure of working with Mala at Minted when she was CPO there, and what I appreciate about what Mala shares in this conversation is the importance of defining success, your career path, and your personal and professional life structure on your terms. For example, Mala is another guest who echoes my dislike of the term “work-life balance.” Mala shares how she has structured her life and defined balance on her own terms.

So as we re-enter, I’d challenge you to think about both how you can structure your work differently and your time to work better for you and to bring more ease to your life. Consider these prompts:

  • What’s a way to restructure my work and life to make it work better for me this month and going forward?

  • Is there a way for me to look at time differently to bring more ease to my life over the summer and beyond?

I’d love to know if there are specific areas around this topic that are a challenge for you. If you’re willing to share, drop me a line here, and I’ll share in an upcoming newsletter and/or podcast episode thoughts on how to address the challenges.

Thanks! Enjoy the summer days!
Kathy
Founder of Sustainable Ambition


The Round-Up

Set boundaries and direct your time: From our friends at Moms Hierarchy of Needs, this post is helpful for all of us with demands on our time. Look down to the exercise towards the bottom for a way to think about aligning your schedule to your values. Are you spending your time in alignment with your values? Or, are you out of whack? And, I appreciate the emphasis on taking radical responsibility—only we can take control of our schedules vs. allowing others to take ownership of our time.

Create space for your work: This is an oldie, but a goodie that brings attention to and inspiration for structuring your time and day to do your best work. Paul Graham writes about maker time vs. manager time, emphasizing that those who need to create often need bigger chunks of time to do so. I would argue that this is true for leaders and managers, as well, because they often say they don’t have time to think. So think about your schedule and how you can re-structure it to create space for your work. It’s noted that this may require negotiation with one's employer, but it’s worth the ask.

Take micro-breaks: Once you start tracking your time, you may find yourself saying, "Where does all my time go?" Or, you may find that your schedule is packed to the gills. In either case, it brings attention to micro-breaks. In the first case, you'll notice that it's natural for us to take small breaks between meetings, when you need a mental break, and so on. Or, you'll find that you really should be building some of those into your schedule, as this article shares about the importance of micro-breaks to keep your energy intact.

Reframe busy-ness: I highly recommend listening to this podcast episode between Cal Newport and Brad Stulberg where they talk about busy-ness and crafting your work to fit your life. I agree with many things they discuss like if you're busy better define it and understand why that is the case (busy isn't necessarily bad, until you unearth the why behind it) and aligning your life and how you spend your time to your values (per above, as well), while learning several new tips, too!

Find new resources to support post-pandemic life: It’s fascinating to see what jobs are popping up post-pandemic as we create new ways to work and live. According to the World Economic Forum, top jobs include a Work from Home Facilitator, Fitness Commitment Counselor, and a Smart Home Design Manager. I can see many companies adding to their ranks the Work from Home Facilitator or Specialist.


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The Sustainable Ambition Podcast - Episode 15

Join me for conversations with experts, authors, and friends on
what it means to live with Sustainable Ambition.

I loved having Mala Singh, Chief People Officer of Electronic Arts, on the podcast. Mala is one of the wisest people I know, so I knew she’d have a lot of great insights to share on building a career according to a vision that is right for you, managing and leading full, ambitious personal and professional lives, and being a leader during turbulent times.

Just a few words of wisdom from our interview:

  • “We all have to choose the life that is right for us, the vision that is right for us, the balance that is right for us, and just architect our life around it.“

  • “It is okay to recognize that we can't actually do it all.”

  • “If you aren't uncomfortable, you aren't learning. You have to lean into the discomfort.”

Listen in to hear the full conversation!

Find it on Apple Podcast here
Or, listen on our website here

You can also find the podcast, subscribe, and listen on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast.


An Inquiry: How Do I Define Work-Life Resilience on My Terms?

“Balance” is an imperfect word when it comes to considering work-life integration and sustaining oneself to show up as their best self throughout their life. Try to do an analysis of the 168 hours available to you in a week and how they fit across work, sleeping, eating, personal activities, and so on and you can get confused if work-life balance, which implies time can be 50/50, is even realistic. It may depend on your mental model of how you define your time.

What if you were to look at your time through a different lens, one that considers what keeps you operating at your best and that gives you work-life resilience? Ask: what is going to keep my life in harmony across my professional and personal lives if I were aligned to my current priorities, as well as keep me sustained? Where would I be putting my attention? How would I allocate my hours across the week, month, and quarter?

Note that this is likely to change as events in your life evolve from season to season. This is a worthy inquiry to consistently come back to, ensuring that you are adjusting your focus to maintain your personal resilience, keep yourself in harmony, and lead a life that’s sustainable.



“If you want to fly you must give up everything that weighs you down.”

— Denzel Washington

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SUSTAINABLE AMBITION™ IS ABOUT CRAFTING A FULFILLING CAREER TO SUPPORT YOUR LIFE FROM DECADE TO DECADE.

It is centered around articulating your personal definition of success and achieving that without burnout while honoring your personal aspirations and ambitions as they ebb and flow over time. The end game—more fulfillment and ease in your professional and personal life, while still being ambitious.

We offer 1:1 Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, or Career Strategy Coaching, as well as VIP Leadership Brand Sessions and Workshops on a range of Sustainable Ambition topics. We also provide tips and inspiration, advice on career management over the decades, guides on key Sustainable Ambition topics of interest, and coverage of tools and inspiration.