Gotta Get To Work

Back in 1980, Dolly Parton sang, “Working nine to five, what a way to make a livin’!” Parton’s song was indicative of a culture of women trying to make it in the workplace, grinning and bearing it through the eight hours of the day. These days, many women (and men alike) would be glad for the ease of a 40-hour workweek. Americans are working harder than ever. Putting aside the grievous number of unemployed who, in their own right, work desperately to try to find work, let’s consider those who are fortunate enough to have jobs.
At the newspaper, we hold Dolly Parton office hours Monday through Friday. However, the majority of us are always on call after hours, weekends and occasionally, even on vacation. Without trying to sound too self-indulgent (fat chance), the news sleeps for no man. And with modern technology readily at our fingertips, emails are just an iPhone alert whistle away. However, the fact that news people work a lot is probably not news. It’s always been this way.
My wife, God bless her, is an anesthesiologist – a job even more difficult to perform than it is to spell. Her version of “on call” is quite different from mine. When she gets the call to go in (during the late, dark hours of the night), oftentimes lives are on the line and the rush to get to surgery is crucial, 9-5 has never exactly existed in that world either. But that’s medicine. Those people have always been workhorses so they’re probably an unfair example.
NBC News recently reported on a term coined “work binging.” It sounds awful, doesn’t it? The folks involved in work binging are the ones getting less and less sleep, barely seeing their families and slowly growing big fat ulcers. But they love it! During their morning commutes on the train, they research their markets on 3G-enabled tablets, review their upcoming day to see if they can somehow squeeze in an extra meeting and speed-read in-depth articles on how to be more proficient and productive. Ironic, isn’t it?
When you’re living your life for your work (whatever it may be), are you really living? Those who are in it may say yes. There’s a blissful rush one may achieve rushing from task to task. High-energy and unapologetic efforts often yield glorious results, which, in turn, feed the ongoing addiction for more more more! Success, though obviously not as potent a drug as actual narcotics, can be dangerous.
Mita Diran, a 24-year-old Indonesian copywriter worked for an advertising agency called Young and Rubicam. Diran, a so-called ‘binge worker’ with an active Twitter account often tweeted about her addiction. On Nov. 8, 2013, Diran tweeted, “Alright, one week of going home past 2am (sic) from the office. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we just broke a record.” On Nov. 18, 2013, Diran tweeted, “Home before midnight after three long, exhausting weeks. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.” Then on Dec. 14, 2013, Diran tweeted, “30 hours of working and still going strooong.” Hours later, Diran suffered from heart failure and slipped into a coma and mere hours later, she was dead.
Diran’s case is a sad one indeed and something we should reflect on in our own lives. By her own admission, she worked insane hours, knew she was pushing herself beyond her limits and yet continued with her unhealthy behavior. For what?
Asian culture has historically been both revered and feared by Americans. In a sense, we have tried playing catch-up when it comes to instilling a strong work ethic in our children. Just a couple weeks ago, Gov. Christie said, in his State of the State address, that he would like to create an education plan for New Jersey where students will have longer school days and a longer year. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, educators and parents across the state were debating the issue. Would it be a good idea? Since the first mention of this, we have yet to hear any details but what if something came of it? Children would become predisposed to working longer and harder than ever at an early age, and we may (God forbid) end up raising future Mita Dirans of our own who won’t know when to stop, to rest, to breathe.
You can always do more. You can take that call and answer that email at the same time if you really put your heart into it. You don’t have to get home early for dinner; you can just pick up some pizza on the way home. The kids are probably too busy with their homework to enjoy a home-cooked meal anyway. So stay at the office just a little longer. Shut down your computer only after you’re sure there’s absolutely nothing else you can do tonight. Then pack it up and take your tablet with you for the train ride home; there is bound to be an incredible wealth of knowledge for you to tap into. Overload your brain. Go.
No matter where we are in our lives when it comes to work, there’s probably always ways we can pull back a little and look at the bigger picture – what’s really important. I could go on but you see my point. Besides, it’s almost 9 a.m. and I have to get going … I’ve gotta get to work.
Follow Bryon Cahill on Twitter @shakabry for more tips on how to not die from working too hard.