The sun was barely up and the coffee was piping hot.
Yet, there was palpable excitement throughout the office.
For it was Friday.
And not just any Friday. A short-week Friday.
There had been a holiday earlier in the week. We had barely gotten back to work. And yet, there were already two more days off on the horizon.
As the day wore on, more and more of the office slid into full-fledged Friday mode. Fewer and fewer items on to-do lists got completed. More and more sidebar conversations popped up at various cubicles.
It seemed like everyone’s focus was on the impending weekend.
But mine was not.
As my co-workers ran down the clock, I was racing against it.
There was so much to do. And there wasn’t enough time.
I did my best to tune out the distractions around me. I locked eyes with my computer screen. And I started crossing items off my to-do list.
It was slow going at first. But soon, I picked up momentum.
I was getting to more tasks in a shorter amount of time. The to-do list was getting shorter.
But it wasn’t enough. As the workday wound down, I was still behind the 8-ball. Some items on my list would have to get pushed to next week.
I got in my SUV and headed home, where two days of freedom awaited me.
But I didn’t feel triumphant. I felt like I had failed.
There are several theories about the balance between our lives at work and our lives outside of it.
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fit the time available for its completion. Many scientific studies have shown that vacations are good for our health. And there is even a growing consensus that working longer hours hurts our productivity.
These revelations have changed the way work is done. Many companies now offer flexible work schedules, generous vacation policies, and the ability for employees to work from home.
Now, some are pushing the boundary even further. Some experts in recent years have been calling for the 8 hour workday to be cut to 6 hours. And the Prime Minister of Finland has floated the idea of moving to a four day work week.
On the surface, I have no qualms with the idea of vacations or 4 day work weeks. After all, I once set my college class schedule specifically so I could have three day weekends.
But there’s another side to reduced work schedules. A darker side.
For while an abbreviated work schedule gives us more time to enjoy life outside of the office, it also leaves us with less time to get things done within it. And that can cause problems.
There are two ways to approach time off.
One is as a gift. As something bestowed upon us with no strings attached.
The other is as a reward. As something achieved in exchange for our hard work.
These days, many of us take the first approach. We expect time off to be generous and unconditional. And we indulge in opportunities to get away from the grinding demands of the professional world.
We live for the weekends and holidays. We curse Mondays and approach Fridays with a sense of righteous vindication.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with taking this route. It’s natural — even expected — in a world where the traditional workplace norms are getting unshackled, one by one.
But I don’t follow the crowd here. Instead I go for the second approach.
For I believe in the grind. I believe in rolling up my sleeves and getting to it.
Most of all, I believe that to get a break, I need to earn it.
Now, there are upsides and downsides to this approach.
On the plus side, I’m able to keep a steady course. I don’t get crushed by the Monday Blues, and I rarely find myself flying high on Fridays. There is only the next task. The next day. The next opportunity to get after it.
But on the minus side, I get flustered when I get off-schedule. So short weeks and missed deadlines each eat at me.
When the routine suddenly shifts, I find myself without direction. And I feel unworthy of the freedom bestowed upon me. For I haven’t earned it.
Why on earth would I subject myself to this torture?
In a world where instant gratification has never been more plentiful, why would I shun it in favor of monotony?
The answer is equal parts self-control and self-awareness.
As avid Words of the West readers know, I’m a bit obsessed with control.
I crave it. I depend on it.
Yet, I often have doubts on my abilities. And these doubts undercut my sense of control.
This paradox used to paralyze me. I was a ship in irons, caught between the warm trade winds of ambition and the frigid gales of doubt.
It got so bad that by the middle of my high school years, I had checked out. I would sleepwalk through classes, come home and blankly watch whatever sports game was on television.
I was a mess. My grades were slipping. And my misery was rising.
My mother saw all this. And she was not happy.
One day, in a fit of seething exasperation, she called me lazy. Not once, but multiple times.
I could have shrugged this off, the way I shrugged off everything else at that time. But something in those stinging words lit a fire under me.
I didn’t like being called lazy. And I wanted make sure that wouldn’t happen ever again.
So, I made a pact with myself. I conceded that others might have more talent than I did, but I swore that no one would outwork me.
This helped me break the ice of my self-doubt and regain control of my destiny. And it’s continued to provide me direction to this day.
Yes, the Earn It approach is not just habit. It’s my guiding principle.
There’s no need to evangelize the Earn It approach. For it’s not for everyone.
Still, it’s important that we understand the merits of this mindset. It’s important that we recognize the value of hard work and determination.
These principles might not be flashy. But they provide a steadfast certainty in an ever-changing world. And they can yield an unparalleled sense of satisfaction — the satisfaction of a job well done.
So, while we count our blessings and indulge in ever more abundant leisure opportunities, we should remember one thing.
Some of the best things in life are not given. They’re earned.