Work/Life Balance?

Is work always work?

Recently I was crashing to complete a project in a burst of activity and the hours just slipped on by. This is unusual for me as I typically have things very scheduled to fit everything in ( MBA coursework, work, travel, family stuff). It was an interesting assignment ( largely of my own making) and I was trying a creative approach to a common business problem ( a marketing plan). I know the balance was tipping the other way for a little while and I didn't seem to mind because it was such a great project to work on ( for me). My virtual team is small but dedicated and each has a special skill set that seems to compliment the others. We don't have much budget but everyone is pretty resourceful and able to use our limited resources well.

So the work just didn't feel like work. It was fun and challenging. Don't get me wrong, this is real work with real financial consequences if it fails. Personally I've really rediscovered my interests since starting my MBA.

So the work is there for the "working" but seems not to be so much drudgery like some older tasks I don't do anymore.


Is this really a work/life balance issue at all or should I just be glad to have the motivation and excitement over the project? Lately the ideas just seem to spill out - nice feeling to have.

Burned Out, Blocked and Bored??

I was reading an article from the HBR the other day on the subject of "mid-career" types and the challenges they face regarding career planning and advancement. I thought it was very interesting and certainly can relate. The double edged sword is that many boomer types are at the tops of their careers ( or near the tops) and a decade of downsizing has decimated the middle ranks of corporate America. That normally isn't a problem unless you are a younger worker looking to move up. Roadblock!

Now the other side of the sword is that as a company, you should seek to have a strong "bench" of capable people ready to do any of your top jobs. Unfortunately how do you keep a strong collection of people primed and ready before they get bored and move on to some other company?

I work in a matrix type organization and this is clearly an issue where people no longer can measure advancement by the promotional ladder ( because there isn't one anymore). So how do you do it???

I think the potential solution is in making job rotations more a necessity and actually drive employees to push their limits........

The Perfect Home Office?

As a remote employee I work from a home office ( and have for most of the last 16 years). I can't really imagine why you would need to go to an office these days. With high speed internet ( wifi of course), a cell phone and / or Skype, you can work from anywhere.

That being said I have not found the "right" layout and equipment for my current home office. So I'm going to treat myself to an office re-design soon. I build furniture as a hobby so I can cover the construction of it just fine but I've been browsing Flickr for home office ideas. All I can say is my office looks like a neat freak by comparison to many of them!

I keep telling myself that this is the "year of the Aeron" so perhaps I can finally just get one.

I am on a constant search for the perfect home office so I keep looking for ideas wherever I can find them!