Workplace Survival Dialog - Recharge Your Batteries

Posted on May 23rd, 2007 by Jon - SmartWealthyRich

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David from Reflections on Balance asked me if i wanted to join in the fun and participate in his “Workplace Survival” dialog.

I took some time to read Davids’ posts and comments on his blog, and one thing I noticed is that almost everyone had to deal with bad situations at work. Seems like there is no escape, and everyone has to go through similar stuff (also check out “Work-Life Balance” by Anthony Baggett, and also my “Choices Are Made Long Before You Decide” post i wrote not so long ago). You probably had to deal with jerks (for lack of better terms) at work before. So how can one achieve balance between work and personal life, especially when you work with jerks, it can be pretty damn hard to find balance in your personal life.

Robert Sutton wrote a book titled “The No-Asshole Rule“, which i think is a brilliant title, and i’m sure many of us will agree with the following quote:

[…]those who deliberately make colleagues feel less-than and who wield their authority over those less powerful - are toxic and destroy the work environment, diminish productivity, and provoke capable employees to leave[…] - Excerpt from Reflections on Balance

Some of you already know that i worked in sales and marketing for a big telecom company (won’t name or link to them), and i sure can share my experiences, and what helped me achieve work-life balance. It’s never easy to deal with bad situations at work (reason why I work freelance now), but it is feasible.

Usually I try not to echo too much, but i agree 100% with David:

Work is only one part of your life. Remember to live the rest of your life as well. Focus on what’s important to you and set goals for all the many roles you play in life. - Reflections on Balance

But how can you live the rest of your life, when you’re always thinking about work? If it’s saturday night and you’re thinking of that customer you talked to last week, maybe there’s something wrong.

Ways to recharge your batteries

Find stress-free places, where you can relax, read a book, listen to music, stress-free! If you have leave your house and go somewhere else to find that “zen space”, by all means, do so! I found that driving helped me relax. Many people hate driving because of traffic and all, but i find it’s a good way for me to relax and lower stress levels.

Social life is very very important! Get out and go for a drink with friends and forget about that customer or your boss. Your colleagues, your boss and your customers couldn’t care less about you on a friday night, so enjoy your week-end, and try not to think too much about those “not-so-friendly” colleagues, or angry customers.

Spend quality time with people you care about. Goes without saying that spending an evening, a week-end or a even a week with someone you care about and that cares about you will do wonders lowering stress, and recharge your batteries.

Bad Situations At Work

The best way to win an argument is to avoid it. Whether you agree or not with your colleagues, or if you work with “jerks” or “a-holes“, you’re getting paid anyway! :)

So, how do you find work-life balance? How do you deal with bad situations at work?

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14 Responses to “Workplace Survival Dialog - Recharge Your Batteries”

Anthony Baggett // May 23, 2007 at 4:52 pm

I think reminding yourself that “work is one part of your life” helps. The social life is what I don’t get much of. That’s probably what I like least about my work……..graveyard shift.

There seem to be those of us who work so we can live, then there are those of who have our whole identity wrapped up in the career. I would be curious to see a survey as to which group is happier.
Jonathan-C. Phillips // May 23, 2007 at 4:55 pm

Anthony, i would definitely be interested to know the results of that survey, i’ll try to search for something similar on google and see what comes up :)
Shane // May 23, 2007 at 7:04 pm

Recharging is important. Even if you love what you’re doing, it’s good to step away from it and bring in some other experiences.

For people that really hate their job or hate being there, I’d just say … get out. If you spend 8 or 10 hours every day hating your situation, it’s going to spill over into everything else in your life sooner or later.
Jonathan-C. Phillips // May 23, 2007 at 7:11 pm

Shane, you bring an excellent point there, if you hate the job or the environment, and it spills over on your personal life, and overall hapiness, it’s best to just start looking for something else, i can totally relate to that, that’s exactly what happened to me about 2-3 years ago, and god it feels good now! ;)
Calvin // May 24, 2007 at 12:30 am

Do we still need to worry about workplace Jon? It’s been over a month now and I don’t feel missing anything. In fact, I love the long holidays it has afforded me.

However I agree if “you consider work place as part of your life” you can cope with all the stress it brings. Only select few actually doing what they like and the rest I think is doing it because they have to make an end meets.
Jonathan-C. Phillips // May 24, 2007 at 2:45 am

Hey Calvin! Yeah, i wanted to ask you just that, how it feels to now be a “home worker” or “freelancer”! Cause you quit your job not so long ago, i’m happy you like it the way it is now! Means your business is doing good and you’re making money, so it’s always a good sign! :)
David B. Bohl // May 24, 2007 at 11:22 am

Jonathan,

Great to hear from you. Thank you for contributing to the WORKPLACE SURVIVAL Dialog.

David
Jonathan-C. Phillips // May 24, 2007 at 3:26 pm

Hi David, thank you for inviting me! Really looking foward to reading other posts on this Workplace Survival Dialog, it’s really interesting to hear what others have to say.
Millennium Mommy // Jun 13, 2007 at 8:07 pm

I get a great recharge when I go for a run. Excercise rbings me to a peaceful place.
Jon - SmartWealthyRich // Jun 13, 2007 at 8:52 pm

Same here, running, or just taking walks, helps me a lot, clear my mind, find inspiration, creative zen :)
Paul // Jul 29, 2007 at 10:29 pm

Or you could be like me and just learn how to retire from a 9-5 and work for yourself. I absolutely hated working for others and retired on a dream of building websites. Luckily it worked out well for me. Follow your dreams
Jon - SmartWealthyRich // Aug 2, 2007 at 4:17 am

Hi Paul, it worked out well for me too! :)
A Final Word on Workplace Survival : Slow Down Fast Today! // Aug 20, 2007 at 11:00 pm

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WORKPLACE SURVIVAL Dialog - New Contributions : Slow Down Fast Today! // Aug 20, 2007 at 11:41 pm

[…] Jonathan-C. Phillips at SmartWealthyRich weighs in with Recharge Your Batteries. […]