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June 04, 2004
The Freedom Myth
Entrepreneurial ventures can remind us of babies. They seem to need constant care and attention, and even if they don't for short periods of time we still worry about them. Although physical time off is possible, many entrepreneurs find they cannot mentally take time off from their businesses.
A study in StartupJournal.com reported that of the entrepreneurs surveyed "22% want to forget it all for a while and won't check back with their company, but 33% will be calling in -- or checking by e-mail -- once a day, 22% several times a day, 17% every few days, and 4% weekly. For one small group, 2%, perhaps staying at work would be more relaxing -- they'll be calling in every hour." Another article at the same site offers advice from a consultant on how to take time off from his business. But, his advice seems to imply that even proper rest is simply a way to improve performance when we get back to work.
Temperance is a virtue that is often forgotten about in today's 24/7 world. This article from Inc.com describes the problem quite clearly:
"So, do you really need to be at the office 24-7??The most dominant myth of this society is the Protestant work ethic,' says Al Gini, author of The Importance of Being Lazy. 'Entrepreneurs say, 'This is my baby. I have to do this myself with huge amounts of sweat equity.' They're right, but there has to be some moderation.' Gini advocates taking time to rest, recreate, and re-create, but if that only means a few days off, checking in constantly before plunging right back into an all-consuming schedule, what's the point?"
What's the point, indeed? Being at rest is not simply a means of recharging your batteries for the next round of work. Rest nourishes the soul. Rest gives us the opportunity to focus on many things that are, dare I say it, even more important than our businesses. Family, faith, and friendships are not respites from work. But we too often treat them simply like a time-out from work.
If all we do--work, rest, sleep, recreation--are simply means to improving the financial performance of our businesses, our lives are not really being lived well. My good friend Mike Naughton tells the story when he was giving a talk about celebrating the Sabbath. An executive in the audience spoke up and adamantly stated that he could never "give up" Sunday--it was his competitive advantage.
As summer vacations draws near, take time to think about why you are doing all that you do. Why do you work? How do you rest? If all of your answers come back to your business it is time to do some genuine reflection on your life. Business is exciting, invigorating, and even fun. But, it is simply a means and not the ultimate ends in our lives. Temperance in our work can help put such things in their proper order.
Posted June 4, 2004 02:47 PM
Comments
I am somewhat surprised at the amount of time people "worry" about their work when away. I can see calling in every so often to "check on things," but to call mutiple times daily is a little overboard. I completely agree with the comments about rest. I am a strong believer that sleep is vital to the human body, and makes the daily routine run much smoother. This may sound crazy, but I schedule my day/week around my sleep schedule. Even though I don't own a business, when I ask myself the same questions that are posed in the last paragraph, I work to reach career goals, and I rest very well. I can always tell when stress or anxiety is present in my life, because I don't sleep as well. Otherwise, I usually sleep through the night.
Posted by: Raven Teeples at August 4, 2004 10:45 AM
at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He consults with a variety of businesses on start-up and growth related issues, and with larger corporations on re-establishing entrepreneurial cultures within their organizations. Dr. Cornwall's current research interests include entrepreneurial finance and entrepreneurial ethics. He has authored or co-authored four books.
