Taking Control

We've all been there: A speaker asks the audience to please turn off their BlackBerrys and cellphones. Not everyone listens. When this happened during a recent industry meeting I attended, the planner sitting next to me, BlackBerry on her lap, shot me a guilty glance. “I can't,” she whispered. “My boss said she had to be able to reach me.”

Rude, yes. But I empathized with her dilemma. Nearly everyone who works in Corporate America these days is expected to give at least 110 percent to the job.

While it's distressing to think that our work is so demanding that we can't be out of touch for an hour, some — particularly the GenX and GenYers who are addicted to their communication devices — choose to stay connected 24/7. “My BlackBerry is like a drug,” said one young planner during a discussion on work-life balance at FICP's Northeast Chapter winter meeting. “That's why they call it a crackberry. When I try to turn it off, I have nightmares.”

The plugged-in mentality of younger generations is driving a new way of looking at work, notes Ed Simeone, CMP, CMM, Fusion Productions, who led FICP's work-life balance session. Gen X and Gen Y don't approach the job in terms of an 8-to-5 day in the office, he said. They want flexibility in the workplace, but they're connected around the clock and willing and able to work from home on their laptops as needed. “We're transitioning to a performance-based culture,” said Simeone. “But it might mean that companies will require people to be always available, even if they're not in the office.”

Meanwhile, the challenge for meeting planners of any age remains how to manage the workload without sacrificing their sanity — or their personal lives. Simeone offered the following suggestions:

  • Focus on your needs. Implement an exercise program or modify your work hours, for example. This will not only empower you, but can help you to be more productive on the job.

  • Keep a log of your daily activities. It will help you to understand how you are using your time, and to identify where the imbalances are.

  • Communicate clearly, and listen carefully. It can help you to avoid extra work.

  • Set aside at least one night each week for recreation.

  • Enjoy your day off. Don't clean the bathroom or do the laundry.

  • Get enough sleep. If you don't, you'll make bad decisions and have to work harder.

  • Bolster your support system. Take the time to develop relationships with friends.

  • Don't be afraid to seek professional help.

  • Fight the guilt. It is OK to have work you love and a family.

  • Know that your best is good enough. You're sometimes going to miss a business obligation or a family event.

To sum it up: In work, and in life, balance is an elusive goal. But you can take control.

         Subscribe in NewsGator Online   Subscribe in Bloglines

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2009 Penton Media Inc.

Meetings Collaborative

Rate your experience with meeting venues and suppliers.

Facility / Hotel

 
Powered by: Meetings Collaborative

The Meeting Planning Blog

Face2Face Latest Posts

Digital Edition on MeetingsNet

Apex Webinars

Creating Green-Meetings Standards

An industrywide effort to produce achievable, voluntary standards for greener meetings and events is under way. The Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX), an initiative of the Convention Industry Council, is working with the Environmental Protection Agency and ASTM International Standards to create baseline guidelines that both meeting managers and the hospitality community can embrace. Join us for a free webinar.


View it Now! | View APEX Archives

Webinars

What Meeting Planners Need to Know to Manage E-Meetings

Virtual meetings save time and money, get a thumbs-up from the “green” crowd, and offer new ways for companies and organizations to communicate, market, and sell. It’s time for meeting managers to start booking and managing them.
View it Now | View Archived Webinars

CVB Supplement 2008

The Changing Face of CVBs

Featuring:
*Changing Face of CVB's
*CVB's Go Green

·Go to Digital Edition

Recent Comments

Powered by Disqus

Back to Top

Explore Our Newsletters

Meeting Planner Survival Guide

NEW & IMPROVED! Whether you're a novice planner or a veteran, this compilation of must-read articles is your meeting planning resource.

Pharma Meeting Management Forums

Medical Meetings and the Center for Business Intelligence present the 5th Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Management Forum, March 29-31, in Baltimore.

Click here for registration info and agenda.

Suppliers/
Facilities/CVBs

MeetingsNet makes it easy to find the CVBs, tourist boards, and facilities you need for your next meeting.

Deals &
Discounts

Special group hotel offers brought to you by MeetingsNet.

Find A Job

Targeted to all aspects of the hospitality and special events industry.

Education
Central

Upcoming Events, Live and Online

Inside Current Issue

Association Meetings

December 2008 AM

CMI Dec 2008

January 2009 CMI

FIM November

November 2008 FIM

Dec 2008 Medcial Meetings

December 2008

RCM Dec 2008

Dec 2008

Browse Back Issues