Having a work-life balance is very important. You don’t live to work, you work to live. You work to pay the bills and have a comfortable life.
I’ve previously mentioned that it’s worth knowing how much it costs to fund your lifestyle. This is very important so you know how much you need to earn in order to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. If you can work smarter, not harder, all the better. It’s a great feeling to know that you only need to work three to six months a year to pay the bills for the whole year. You can then take time off or have long breaks between employments.
When I first started dating my wife (to-be), she was an employee with an annual holiday allowance of 25-days. We would look at the calendar for the upcoming year and note all the bank holidays and take those 25-days and use them to make weekends longer here and there and bank-holiday weekends even longer. We worked out that we could have short breaks every month. We would plan out where we were going next, somewhere in our home country or maybe abroad. Both the holiday itself and the anticipation of the upcoming holiday helped maintain a great work-life balance. We would often have 12 holidays a year. One year we had 14!
Another thing I like to do is to take “me days”. These are days when I know that no one is going to be home during the day. My wife will be out and the kids will be at school and I’ll have the place to myself. I’ll book it a month in advance so both my clients and family are ok with the date. Then I’ll start planning what food I’ll have. Maybe pizza or a takeaway. What snacks I’ll have and what beer I’ll be drinking. Not the large packs of beer but a carefully chosen selection of real ales from independent breweries. Then I’ll choose what video game I’ll be playing or movies I’ll watch. It may sound strange to you but this is heaven to me. I’ll get up, have my favourite breakfast and I’ll probably stay in my PJs all day long. I’ll play my video games and watch TV with no interruptions. After lunch I’ll open my first beer and continue gaming until the family comes home. Sometimes they’ll just leave me gaming till bedtime. Bliss!
Your “me day” may be different. Maybe you prefer a spa day or a day at the golf course or racetrack. Whatever your preference, the key is to just take a me day every once in a while to unwind, chill-out and enjoy yourself.
I had a colleague once to whom I explained the concept of ‘me days’ and who informed me that he couldn’t do it as he’ll be leaving money on the table. His thinking was that a day off meant a day’s money lost. Going from contract to contract working every day to earn as much money as you can is no way to live. Would you not rather enjoy what you do and be able to afford to take time off whenever you wanted?
Another rule of mine is that I don’t work my birthday. It’s the biggest ‘me day’ of the year so no way am I working that day. I’m far too busy celebrating me.
One other thing I’d like to point out about a good work-life balance is that the power people have over you is an illusion. Think about that for a second. When you are interviewing and are negotiating terms, at no point in the conversation does your new client say “..and I will have the right to berate you, to talk down at you, to shout at you when I feel like it, and generally treat you badly”, yet this happens. I’ve had clients shout at me as if they own me. They don’t. If you let them treat you this way then you are giving them the illusion of power and they will continue and this can lead to stress, anxiety and other mental health issues developing. The trick is to nip this in the bud quickly. Do it calmly and professionally but make sure that they understand that this is not acceptable and that if they cannot continue to be professional then you are prepared to walk away from the contract.
So remember that your health and well-being comes first. You are working so that you and your family can have a good life. You are not working just to work or just to earn money. You want a great life and you need money to do that, but not at the expense of your well-being.
Family and health come first!
Tag: work
Job security is a myth
In the past, many people would leave education and commit to a single company for their entire career, retiring after decades of service. Those days are behind us. Today, both freelancers and employees can expect to work for more than five companies over their careers.
Gaining experience across different companies provides valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t. Each role offers lessons, whether positive or negative. You’ll observe various approaches to solving common problems and may even bring your past experiences to the table, helping to address challenges in new ways.
Diversity in your career can be both enriching and enjoyable. Working across different sectors can broaden your skill set and expose you to unique experiences. For instance, I once found myself back in an office where I had previously worked, but with a different client, project manager, and team—only I was the constant. In another instance, I jokingly noted in a meeting that, if awarded the contract, I would have worked on every floor of the building, having already tackled projects on four out of five floors for various clients. I got the contract and completed the set!
Embrace new opportunities and don’t shy away from stepping outside your comfort zone—but always manage the associated risks.
Whenever I join a new company, I often encounter employees who express admiration for freelancing but deem it too risky. Even after discussing risk mitigation strategies, they often cling to the notion of job security. I once had a conversation with two managers in the company canteen. When I asked them what they meant by “job security,” they replied, “We are both managers here, so the company must give us three months’ notice.”
I then pointed out, “So you’re saying you have three months of job security?” To which they said yes. I responded, “I’ve just signed a one-year contract with your employer that neither side can terminate. By your definition, I actually have more job security than you do.” That made them reconsider their perspective.
To me, the concept of job security is a myth—largely a construct employers use to retain key talent. In my experience, companies prioritise their shareholders and profit margins. If you lack a vested interest, you may find yourself expendable. Look around: businesses are sold, and loyal employees are let go to boost profits. Ultimately, your primary loyalty should be to yourself and your family’s financial well-being.
Thoughts on finding work
Understanding the recruitment process is crucial. Personally, I prefer to avoid the job sites if I can. In my experience, when a job is listed on these platforms, it often means the recruiter has been unable to find suitable candidates in their internal database. As a result, the position is advertised online, attracting a large pool of applicants.
The key is to discover potential opportunities before they hit the market. You can achieve this by leveraging your network or by identifying a select few recruitment agents who specialise in your sector. Maintaining regular communication with these agents is vital. Reach out to them weekly to remind them of your availability.
The goal is for your name to be the first one that comes to mind when their clients express a need for someone with your skill set.