Long hours

Do you work long hours?

I've been struggling with the work-life balance question recently. At my company, everyone always seems to be so caught up in work, and working late, coming in early, rushing around meeting-to-meeting all day every day... it's exhausting even to be around!

I usually make it a point to not work during off-hours. I have a mobile phone for work email, and though sometimes I check it, I rarely act on anything until business hours. As a new mom, I feel like there's scarcely enough time to spend with family as it is - without wasting any of it glued to the computer. 

This last week has been very trying. Work was extremely busy, more so than usual, and I was in meetings back-to-back for days in a row. One day I only saw my own desk for about 20 minutes total, and that was it. It was difficult to even find 15-20 minutes for pumping. By the end of the week I was almost in tears from exhaustion and felt defeated - I simply could not get everything done, and had to beg a coworker for an extension - which meant working over the weekend.

I know this pace won't keep up forever, and I know that I'm quite lucky to have a wonderful (albeit stressful sometimes) job, and a fabulously supportive husband and family. One thing I've promised myself, however, is never to sacrifice happiness for work. So when I'm at home, I will continue to do my best to devote all my energy to the people I love. Life is too short to not spend every moment possible creating joy.