Working Hours

What are your hours?

I can remember when businesses were open at certain times and closed at others. We needed to go to a bank while it was open to deposit and withdraw money. If we needed to look something up at night, we waited until the next morning. Many people worked from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with a break for lunch. After work, we had the rest of the evening to do what we wanted to do.

Today, advances in technology give us the opportunity to work nearly around the clock. We wake up early to work with people on the East Coast. We stay up late to work with people in Asia. People from around the world can contact us at a moment’s notice. Even when we do go to bed we lie awake, thinking about all the work we could be doing.

The differences between working hours and rest are becoming part of the past. We drive ourselves to work even longer. We do not take vacation time, we do not use our medical leave. We sense that because we could be working around the clock, we should be working even more.

We live in a time of amazing possibilities. We can work with people around the world, people we would never meet without technology. We can talk, share, and work together across vast distances.

As we grasp the benefits that give us more opportunities to work, we lose sight of the benefits of rest.

As our capacity to connect grows, we are responsible to protect what seems to be evaporating. What seemed natural in the past now needs to be preserved.

We work to restore the balance between work and rest, work and reflection.

What are your working hours?

When do you work, and when do you rest?

How can I help you find your balance?

[Image by stevendamron]