Working late again?

Whilst it may be cultural expectations causing this. Or genuine workload related at this time, or ongoin unrealistic work expectations placed upon you, or time and prioritisation skill challenges (some, or all, of which may be helped by addressing).

It could also be something entirely else. Habit.

If you start working late, to a certain time, you may find that you quickly adapt to that being your new finish time.

Your work then naturally expands to fill that time (Parkinson’s Law). Indeed, unless setting unreasonable deadlines, whatever time you dedicate to a particular task is how long it will take you to complete it. You will simplify it, complicate it, procrastinate during it, focus on it, re-read or tweak it, summarise or expand it, as much as your time allows for it.

When you start working late regularly, you can often start feeling guilty about leaving on time. If that’s you, or you find that your working hours are pretty much identical each day (and longer than your contractual hours). Then as uncomfortable as it may feel, reverting to your working hours can make a difference as you reset your habit to a different finish time.

The reality is sometimes we place the ‘focus’ on the workload, whereas it is our own unwitting behaviour that has caused our working late in one way or another. By noticing what is happening we can start to create a change. The same applies for prioritisation and procrastination.

It’s also worth reflecting if there is any reason why you might want to postpone heading home.

Or, if you might be unwittingly wearing the ‘working late badge of honour’ in a world that celebrates and creates conversations of comparing being busy.

Time to reflect. Is it time to regain your evenings?

Simona