The Week Ender: Do you see RED on Monday?

Lutz Graham on his Blog – The Ongoing Autobiography of a Young Capitalist – has an article called “Product of Your Environment“. I love reading his blog from time to time and he has many great ideas about running his business. In this post he comes to the following conclusion:

“…Granted, red letters are not the end of the world, but it is nice to see that you’ve gotten it all done and when you wake up on Monday, you have no red.”

When he talks about red letters, he is talking about his tasks in his to-do list. He asserts that he/you/all of us are “Products of our Environment”! Is that really it?

I have to disagree with him here. We are also products of our own expectations, I think this red letters business can seriously upset your work-life balance and your effectiveness at work. I have learned one thing in business:

Often our Expectations of Ourselves by far Exceed our Requirements!

Living your business, or for that matter personal life by a 100% rule, it is very counter productive. Don’t let a computer run your life. Relax, the weekend is here, have a life. Live by the 80 – 20 rule, if you need a rule.

Or just have a weekend with your family and friends. More on Monday – and I will certainly have some Australian RED over the weekend, and some of Lutz’ red on Monday I guess. ST.

2 Responses to “ The Week Ender: Do you see RED on Monday? ”

1. Graham Lutz, The Young Capitalist
   
   Said on October 12th, 2007 at 2:43 pm

   Touche.

   I agree with your post. You’re right about the red letters messing up your work life balance if you let them. but I give myself a reasonable amount of things to do and that never means cutting into my family time. I have a great work/life balance and I’m definitely not the workaholic type.

   I think our expectations are part of our environment, along with red letters, families, friends, jobs, businesses, and everything else.

2. Stefan Töpfer
   
   Said on October 12th, 2007 at 3:52 pm

   Hi Lutz,

   I like your comeback about our our expectations being part of our environment – did not think about that angle – but I think I made my point.

   Getting the balance right is the art of the future work place at home.

   ST.

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