Here’s something that should give busy leaders pause: According to a recent study of more than 10,000 British workers, employees who put in 10 or more hours a day have a 60 percent greater risk of heart attack, angina, and death from cardiovascular disease than those with no overtime work. The study found that those with the highest risk of heart disease claimed to work 11 to 12 hours per day. Read the full Bloomberg article here.

Honestly, I’m working on this one too! Working a lot is so easy to do, and takes far less discipline than effectively controlling my time and demanding more clarity and efficiency from my efforts. Here are a few suggestions I received from Christopher Aune for ways to manage time and personal energy:

·         My schedule includes early morning hours and late night hours. However, nine hours from the time I start work, I stop working (with only rare exceptions).

·         I change my focus for 10 minutes every hour…Watch the birds outside, go sit in the chair by the window and read or snooze or listen to an audio.

·         I allow two 15-minute play times every day. Go joke around with people, tell a story, fold a paper airplane, or mix ice tea and cherry Kool-Aid.

·         If I get stressed, it’s time for a getaway…a day at a country B&B, a pool, or a museum, and renovate my brain and body. Or a vacation…but if it’s not at least 10 days without thinking of work, it’s not a vacation.

Do you have a policy about your work hours? Personally? Organizationally? Add a comment or send an email.