The grind
My life six months ago:
5.30am commute from the Hibiscus Coast to Auckland’s CBD.
Back-to-back meetings from 9am to 3pm on a typical day, with a possible gap in between if I’m lucky.
Follow up, action items and the remainder of my job until about 6pm, at which point the traffic has subsided for the commute back to the coast.
It was a very normal scenario, despite being such a long day, it became standard routine.
Taking back control
Fast forward six months and I’m out of the corporate world having become a business owner for Sprout, a people growth start-up. My world is quite different - I’m finally adjusting to my new norm of a decent night’s sleep, quality time with my family and less time commuting.
As liberating as this may sound, it has been a mix of emotions and something of a mind-shift after a 20-year routine.
For example, at first I felt guilty for not working a continuous stretch of 10-12 hour days! Of course there are some of those days, but now I choose how I want that to work. Whether it’s an hour before the kids get up or an hour after they go to bed.
It may sound like I never escape, but it’s having the ability to make these choices that makes all the difference. And it’s a choice I’ve come to appreciate because I’ve reclaimed control of my day.
This new-found flexibility has also allowed me to reconnect with my community, and uncover some exciting local businesses such as Labyrinth and ShineOn, that are based on the Hibiscus Coast.
Institutionalised?
Reflecting on all this, I can start to appreciate the theme of ‘institutionalisation’ that was touched on in one of my favourite movies, Shawshank Redemption. One of the characters, Brooks, talked about prisoners spending so much time within the four walls of a prison, when they leave they can’t reintegrate with society, becoming institutionalised. This may seem like an extreme comparison to working long, inflexible days, but there are definitely parallels.
Again, it’s an adjustment – not being bound by a set of rules and regulations that are placed on you.
Flexibility requires accountability
Freedom does come at a cost. You have to make sure you’re responsible for every call, task, communication and most importantly, your time. I’ve had to be really intentional about setting myself targets every day, be super organised to book my meetings outside peak traffic hours, be accountable to my business partners, and of course know which cafes are the most work-friendly when it comes to wifi, parking and decent coffee! By the way, I would love some more suggestions of recommended North Shore cafes!
I commend those organisations out there that give their people true flexibility. Not only is it becoming more common and acceptable, it is having a positive impact on businesses rather than only being an employee benefit.
Fidelity International HR Head Ranjani Kearsley says in this article “To be able to have happy, productive employees, it is well understood that you do need to think about what makes your workforce more engaged”.
That’s exactly what we believe at Sprout and why I won’t be heading back to Shawshank Prison anytime soon!
