Let’s take a moment to unpack a foundational truth about our weekly lives: Each five-day workweek contains exactly 120 hours. Ideally, we envision spending about 40 hours at work, 40 hours sleeping, and the remaining 40 hours for personal activities such as getting ready, commuting, exercising, and relaxing. However, thereality paints a vastly different picture.

Breaking Down the Reality:

• 40+ hours spent working.
• 40 hours allocated for sleep, though often disrupted by work-related stress and thoughts.
• 9 hours dedicated to simply preparing for work.
• 6 hours spent commuting, frequently occupied with work-related concerns.
• 25 hours intended as personal time, often infiltrated by continuous email checks, texts, and lingering thoughts about work.

When you add it all up, approximately 65% or more of our five-day week is consumed by work-related activities and thoughts. In reality, our work-life balance is deeply skewed toward work.

The Modern Challenge: Advanced Technology

With technology constantly at our fingertips, the boundary between work and personal life blurs even further. Checking emails and responding to work texts at all hours means the percentage of our time spent focused on work could rise even higher.

Why It Matters: The Privilege of Caring Leadership

As leaders, recognizing this reality is crucial. Shouldn’t our goal be to ensure our team members feel genuinely cared for, emotionally strong, and confident? When people know their leaders authentically value their wellbeing, they are more likely to thrive both professionally and personally.

Leaders who proactively nurture and support their teams foster environments where team members feel safe and encouraged to disengage from work during their personal time. The benefits are profound:

• Increased productivity: People who feel cared for bring their best selves to work.
• Enhanced emotional wellbeing: Employees experience less stress and burnout, allowing for genuine rest and rejuvenation.
• Improved family dynamics: When team members are fully present at home, they’re able to create meaningful, lasting memories.

Actionable Exercise for Leaders:

Consider starting your week by asking team members this simple but powerful question:

“Were you able to fully disconnect from work and be present with your family this weekend?”

No matter their response, your compassionate follow-up could sound like:

“It’s important to me that your family time remains protected and free of work distractions. If there are obstacles preventing that, please share them with me so I can support you.”

Embracing Reality, Building Balance

Recognizing and acknowledging the genuine reality of the 120-hour, five-day workweek is essential. As leaders, our awareness and proactive care have the potential to transform lives—not just in the workplace, but far beyond. By prioritizing genuine life-work balance, we elevate our teams, nurture healthy lives, and foster thriving, sustainable productivity.