Change Gears

Discover your best cadence for work and rest

One of the things I liked about working in ad agencies was summer Fridays. In the days before remote work was an option for most of us, we had summer Fridays. Most agencies would close early on Friday afternoons in the summer in Seattle. Given that we have so much rain for so much of the time, Seattleites are really into their summers. It stays light late, up to 10pm and is generally not too hot. The mountains and islands and various bodies of water all beckon in this short spurt of summer.

This summer, I’m working on a book which is due in September, so I only have a few clients, and am mostly sitting here writing the book. Even though it’s work, it’s a change of pace. And it’s made me think of those summer Fridays, and other ways in which we can give ourselves a change of pace. Not just by taking PTO – although of course that’s lovely, and we should all strive to use all our PTO every year. But changing pace by changing how and when we work to give us some space to recharge.

When I did new business for big agencies, the work was very cyclical in nature. In a pitch, there would be weeks and sometimes months of very intense work, sometimes 70-80 hours a week.

Then the pitch would be over and there was often a lull. I never had comp time or any formal acknowledgement that I had worked so much overtime. But often there was a tacit understanding that the pitch team would be working a pretty loose schedule for at least a few days after a pitch. I didn’t like those post-pitch times. I was well suited to the intense workaholic push, but less well suited to the down time. I could have been cleaning up my email in basket or organizing the CRM or any of the other small but important work housekeeping. I remember sitting at my computer willing myself to be productive with all the enthusiasm of someone visiting an oral surgeon for a root canal.

But I did need the rest. My body and mind needed a break.

It’s important to understand how you work. What cadence and schedule works best for you? Too often, we let our corporate environment dictate how much and when we work, with little regard for our own needs and rhythms. I understand that many people don’t have the privilege of much flexibility in terms of work, but I think there are other people like me who didn’t think I had the right to decide my own work cadence.

What is your ideal work cadence? On-going work with short breaks? Do you feel better when connected to work and don’t want to completely step away but you enjoy long weekends to engage in your recreational activities of choice?

Are you a peaks and valleys kind of person, drawn, like me, to intense bouts of focused activity followed by down time?

Do you need longer breaks, even just once a year, where you can step away from work entirely for at least two weeks to deeply unplug?

Forget what other people do, or what your workplace expects of you. Even if you can’t do it yet, it’s useful to understand your style so you can try to find a workplace that lets you have a work cadence that suits you.

For me, I’ve been a short breaks person, and every few years I took a sabbatical. I mean, I call it a sabbatical, but as it happened, I have been regularly fired or laid off or subject to some bad behavior and have gotten enough of a settlement that I could afford to take a few months off. When the kids were young, I hung out with them for a while, picking them up right after school rather than rolling up as the afterschool day care was closing. I wrote books in my breaks. Even though those books haven’t been published yet I look back on those sabbaticals as valuable times. An opportunity to get on my own schedule, work when I was feeling most productive and spend time with my loved ones.

Last week, we went to LA to see some family and friends. Since I’ve already had my change of gears working on the book this summer, I was surprised to find how much I needed a break. I came back energized and focused. Sometimes we can forget the benefit a change of scenery can provide, and we don’t make it a priority.

A small tweak in your schedule, your personal version of the summer Friday, could help you recharge. Here are some things you could try:

·      If you’re a short break person, schedule those three-day weekends well in advance, and hold onto them.

·      If you are generally in meetings from 9-5 each day, try scheduling meeting free days or mornings. You’ll still be at work, but you’ll be able to focus on long term planning or the kind of focused work we rarely get to do. Don’t forget to turn off your email and messaging notifications.

·      Schedule your interruptions. Again, turn off all your notifications, and work for an hour. Then stop and check any emails or messages that have come in. These “quiet times” can be restorative, especially for introverts. But even extroverts get tired of talking to people and can benefit from a break.

And when you do decide on what kind of break is most restorative, stick with it. Don’t do work on vacation if you can help it. If you’re a leader, be clear with your team what kind of emergency requires them to get in touch with you. I called it the house on fire direction – what, besides the office being on fire, would necessitate texting me when I was on vacation?

It’s a good lesson to teach your team, that vacations are important, and boundaries are valid.

This summer, try changing gears and see how it goes.