It’s Friday, people, and I wonder if some of you who are reading this
are counting down the hours. You’ll be free from the prison in eight,
seven, six hours. Or maybe this is the middle of the working week for
some of you. Or, there’s no such thing as a weekend in your line of
business. All of these things have significant consequences for your
personal finance. If you sometimes wonder how work and career can be a
personal finance issue, consider this. We spend one-third of our time in
our jobs, for over half of our lifetimes. The quality of life we have
at work spills out into the quality of life we have outside of it, along
with providing the means for good personal finance. I’m surely not
alone in thinking, also, that unhappiness at work can often lead to
other personal finance issues, such as binge spending or frequent job
changes, causing a loss of income. Getting your work life right can have
significant personal finance benefits. Here’s how to improve your work
life.
Hours
Restaurant owners have called the end to the working week. The banks
are doing much the same. The concept of everyone walking out cheerily at
5pm would make many people working in offices laugh. Flexibility and
the changes in parental arrangements has been used by a lot of
businesses to end the sanctity of the working week, and the effect on
families (and personal finance) has been immense. Perhaps the first step
would be to look at the amount of hours you’re doing at work. Before
immediately writing it off as necessary, write down the pros and cons of
your hours. Sure, you might make extra money but maybe you could save
that money by working less hours? Or if it’s about career advancement,
the time might have come to discuss the rewards of all your hard work
with your boss. Consider your priorities, and start thinking about
reducing your hours to allow for all your priorities to fit into your
life.
Variety
Working at one job for too long is impossible for me. I work in
hospitality, not because of the fantastic hours or excellent pay, but
because it provides the stimulation and variety I find necessary for my
working life. Whatever your job, variety is an important way to stay
engaged. Be upfront with your employer, and say you’re looking for new
challenges. Start thinking about how best to prepare for the next step
in your career. Take a course to find some new skills to bring to the
workplace.
Politics
A killer of any workplace; office politics can quite easily make your
working life a total drag. Who wants to go, or stay, at work five days a
week if you spend half your time ducking for cover? If it’s causing you
a lot of stress, consider telecommuting a couple of days a week. You’ll
probably be more productive, and far happier in your work.
Balance
There are a million reasons we work hard. But if we’re working too
hard- and what that means can be different for every person- it can
throw the rest of our lives out of kilter. Our health, relationships,
ability to manage our lives out of work- these can all fall by the
wayside. Try and sit down and take some time to think about your job.
What bothers you about it? Can you change it? Can you change your
approach to it? Improving your work situation, whether within your
current workplace or- if nothing can change- at a new one, will have
great benefits to the rest of your life
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