The After-Dinner Man
Posted on 20. Sep, 2011 by Adrian in Blog, Orange
Fifty years ago, most people worked hard until five or six and then went home to their families, friends and hobbies. Business people who brought work home with them were the butt of jokes—they were workaholics or those inefficient souls who couldn’t get their work done in eight hours.
The term “the after-dinner man” emerged to describe these hopeless fools.
Today, the average North American spends more time working than did medieval peasants in servitude. And even when we do leave the office we don’t disconnect. We all know we are attached to our Blackberries, iPhones, and laptops at all hours and even on vacation.
It’s time for all of us to go through a technology detox, me included. A few ideas for us:
- Tonight, try leaving your mobile devices in your car (or turn them off and leave them off if you don’t drive to work). Do this at least two nights a week.
- This weekend, do something outdoorsy (hike, bike, run) and leave your cell at home.
- Turn off your cell phone when you are in meetings. It’s rude to check it anyway.
Let’s regain some balance and break the addiction.
Good luck, and Think Orange!
4 Responses to “The After-Dinner Man”
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About Adrian Gostick
Adrian Gostick is a global thought leader on workplace strategy and the author of several successful books on employee engagement. The Carrot Principle by Simon & Schuster has been a regular New York Times bestseller, and 24-Carrot Manager has been called a “must read for modern-day managers” by Larry King of CNN. His latest book, The Orange Revolution, was a #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller."
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GREAT post. My buddy Robert Jones and I have a Tribe called Beyond the Bottom Line to try to stay focused on having something more in our lives than just work.
I AM a workaholic. Before my daughter was born I was SICK about it. She was too obviously MORE IMPORTANT and really saved my life.
No one ever wishes they worked harder on their death bed.
So true Amy!
PS. I realized that I am now a Before Breakfast Woman.
In the modern business environment, maintaining the balance between work and life is exceedingly difficult. I am a “Before-Breakfast-After-Dinner Woman”, as well- checking my emails in the morning and evening (often while I’m in bed!) has become a habit, akin to brushing my teeth or showering. I don’t even think about the fact that I’m working in bed, it has become so habitually ingrained in my daily routine.
I like to work hard and success is something I crave, however not at the expense of my life! When asked what I wanted to be when I was younger, I definitely did not reply “A Workaholic”.
I think there is a fear among the general population that if we disconnect, even for five minutes, the world is going to fall apart around us. I have my phone with me at all times when I’m not at work. Do I ever receive any calls that couldn’t wait until the next day? No. I can honestly say I never have. But that doesn’t abate my fear that one day, it could happen.
Changing the way we think about the relationship between work and life is required to make substantial changes. As you suggested, switching off every now and then will not kill us. In fact it will probably make us better and more productive workers.
I already know I’m going to be nervous as anything when I go home tonight and leave my phone in the car. But tomorrow morning, and every morning after I “switch off”, I will be able check my calls (or possibly even lack of calls) and breath a sigh of relief.
Turns out the world does keep spinning if I spend the evening with my family, rather than checking my emails