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Is Housework Hurting Your Career?

Laura Vanderkam — 2013-03-14T13:03:00+00:00

It's an article of faith among Americans that we are overworked. We work long hours at our paid jobs, then come home and put in a long second shift. Mothers, in particular, perceive their combined work and child-care hours as extensive, leaving us starved for time -- a starvation that we sometimes assume our husbands don't face. One thing that keeps us from "leaning in" is that the demands of home make that impossible. But does the data bear that out?

Do You Need A 'Tech Sabbath'?

Laura Vanderkam — 2013-03-01T08:57:00+00:00

Internet, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. Or something like that. There are so many wonderful things to read out there and interact with, let alone the joy of my own inbox.

Oooh, lets see what messages are in there -- like wrapped presents under a Christmas tree -- waiting for me to open them! While once you had to sit down at a computer to experience the Internet's wonders, now it comes with you, in a nice little touch screen device that sits in your pocket.

Super Bowl Monday: The Myth Of Lost 'Productivity'

Laura Vanderkam — 2013-01-30T10:00:00+00:00

This weekend brings the Super Bowl, that annual festival of traditions including overpriced commercials, seven-layer dip and a curious one for we business writers: statistics on how much productivity is "lost" due to the game.

I've seen different numbers bandied about:

Employers lose $820 or $850 million due to game chitchat (both stats are out there).
An extra 1.5 million people call in sick the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday, probably because they're hungover. (Using this argument, there is even a petition circulating now to have the White House declare the Monday after a national holiday.)
A time-tracking software company recently sent me a statistic that businesses lose $1.1 billion per week due to fantasy football.

Why Only 2% Of Women Plan To Ask For A Raise This Year

Laura Vanderkam — 2013-01-14T07:14:00+00:00

A discussion group on LinkedIn recently answered the question: What's your career resolution for 2013? Of the five options given to the LinkedIn group Connect, which is powered by Citi, the most commonly chosen (as of this writing) was "find a new job" (36 percent). The runner-up was "learn new career skills" (29 percent) followed by "build my network" (25 percent). Only 2 percent of respondents resolved to ask for a raise.

I find it interesting that the number who'd ask for a raise is that low. One of the reasons that people look for a new job is to make more money, and one reason to learn new career skills is to boost your earning potential. Building your network can help bring in more work (and more money). So why is directly asking for more money so unpopular?

Mayan Calendar 2012: How The End-Of-The-World Myth Can Help Your Career

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-12-20T08:57:00+00:00

The Mayans were quite an advanced civilization. They had agriculture, written language and, as we've been learning in story after story this week, a calendar. Mayan civilization itself ended hundreds of years ago, but the calendar ticked along until. ... Dec. 21, 2012.

Worst Reason To Quit Your Job Is ...

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-11-20T09:29:00+00:00

What with the election and all, we're a bit behind on "can't have it all" manifestos. Fortunately, a lawyer (and mother of two young children) threw some grease on the fire recently by quitting her big D.C. law firm with an email to her colleagues that recounted a rather rough day, hour by hour. (That link goes to Lisa Belkin's post about it at The Huffington Post; scroll down to see the time log in all its glorious detail.)

Election Day: Would More Vote If They Had The Day Off?

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-11-05T08:47:00+00:00

Even with both Republican and Democratic parties bragging about their ground game, Americans will likely hit Nov. 7 knowing at least one number: just 50 to 60 percent of the voting age population will have cast ballots.

There are many reasons for this. For people in non-swing states, their presidential choice doesn't matter. Others don't know enough about the election to vote. Others know enough but don't like the choices. Others just don't care. And some people can't get to the polls for logistical reasons (which could become more of an issue in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy) or various conflicts.

Americans Are Lying About How Much They Work

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-10-22T14:50:00+00:00

Hang around in certain circles long enough, and you hear a lot about 70-hour work weeks. Then, after that complaint, you start hearing about 80-hour workweeks, and so forth in the arms race. People claim they fantasize about 60-hour workweeks, billed by some as the new "part-time."

We may feel we're overworked, but there's evidence that when it comes to estimated workweeks, we have a different problem than that implied by these sweatshop hours. Namely, we lie.

Is A Long Paternity Leave A Good Idea?

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-10-17T08:42:00+00:00

In the U.K., there's a proposal afoot to allow either parent to get a parental allowance for most of the first year of a child's life. Currently, (if I'm reading the U.K.'s literature right) mothers get the first 6 weeks at 90 percent pay, and then can take the next 33 weeks at a state allowance (that's the equivalent of about $200 to $250 per week, depending on the exchange rate). They can transfer the allowance to fathers after 6 months. The new rules would fit more into the Marissa Mayer model of modern motherhood. If mom only wants to take a few weeks off, and dad is doing primary parent duty, why can't he collect the parental allowance right away?

Another Reason Why It's Good To Be The Boss

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-10-01T09:33:00+00:00

Back during the whole Marissa-Mayer-is-pregnant dust-up this summer, I mentioned that being the CEO is actually a great job for the mom of small kids. If you're late to a 9 a.m. meeting, people will wait for you. If you don't want to work from 5:30-8 p.m., people will take your calls at 8:30. They fly to see you. Such accommodation means that you're less stressed.

Being Late Is Not The End Of The World

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-07-18T08:57:00+00:00

I write about time management a lot. I'm also one of those comically punctual people who don't get the idea of social lateness. If you invite me to a party at 8 ... I'll probably be there at 8.

So being late to anything puts me in quite a state. I don't like to scramble when I've already made plans. So I get agitated. But what I've started to realize lately is that the agitation can be a problem in its own right.

'Clean Desk' Policies: Latest Executive Fad Designed To Torment Workers?

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-07-17T10:28:00+00:00

A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, the saying goes -- which may explain why Australian company BHP Billiton's rule book, leaked to the Australian Financial Review, made a big deal about employee desks. According to the publication, employees "have to clean their desks every day of all but eight objects -- their monitors, keyboards, mouse, mouse pad, telephone handset and headset, one A5 photo frame and, should they need it, a footstool, gel wrist pad or other ergonomic equipment."

Feel Too Busy And Overworked? 3 Life-Changing Tips

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-07-16T08:27:00+00:00

There was a time, not so long ago, when I was busy, busy, busy. At least I thought I was.

I told people I worked 60 hours a week. I claimed to sleep six hours a night. As I lamented to anyone stuck next to me at parties, I was basically too busy to breathe. Me time? Ha!

How I Get More Done At Work

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-07-12T08:40:00+00:00

Decades ago, I had a brief interest in chess. I played around with a board and I read through books of the greatest matches. I decided I didn't really like the game enough to pursue it, but I always loved the concept of what master chess players do. They look at the way things are, and then think three, or even more, moves ahead. What happens if this happens? How can I make a move to neutralize this problem which could arise if these two things happen in sequence?

How An Extra 30 Minutes A Day At Work Catapults Careers

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-07-10T08:28:00+00:00

Long-time readers of my articles know that I have a favorite data set: The American Time Use Survey. This annual study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics asks thousands of Americans to keep track of their time. Because it is broad, and based on actual days, as opposed to how people recollect "typical" days, it is more accurate than most surveys that ask people about time.

The Morning Routines Of Successful People

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-06-21T07:58:00+00:00

It's a constant lament from people with long hours and commutes: I want more time for myself. I want time to exercise or do creative work, but when I come home from my job, I'm spent. On weekends I do all the chores I don't have time for during the week. Where's the time for things I find meaningful -- but fun?

There's a simple answer: You can get up earlier.

The Sneaky Way People Take Summer Fridays

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-06-15T14:09:00+00:00

Not many workplaces have "summer Fridays" -- that genteel tradition of closing down around lunch once a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. According to a survey done by Ultimat Vodka, just 12 percent of employed adults get this perk.

Officially, that is. Because anyone who's tried to start a new project or close a deal on a summer Friday has probably noticed that, well, not much gets done. People are slipping out.

7 Ways To Become More Creative

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-06-11T09:24:00+00:00

Those of you with scouting experience likely remember the myriad tricks used to start campfires. I'm not talking matches -- I'm talking the things you threw a lit match on with the hope of getting a serious enough flame going to eventually light the kindling. In my troop, I have a vague memory of paper egg cartons, filled with something like dryer lint and wax. Now, of course, you can buy all kinds of fire-starter kits. Probably you could then, too, but isn't dryer lint so much cooler?

End Your Dysfunctional Relationship With Junk Email

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-06-07T12:04:00+00:00

Several weeks ago, I had a realization: I was spending a lot of time deleting email. Every day, I seemed to get dozens of unwanted emails that I deleted unread. This wasn't pure spam. It was announcements from groups I was no longer part of, emails from companies I'd bought something from years ago, newsletters I'd wound up on somehow, and poorly targeted press releases.

Bored At Work? 2 Ways To Bring The Excitement Back

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-06-05T09:46:00+00:00

According to a spate of recent headlines, the dangerous epidemic of workplace boredom is stalking the cubicles of developed nations. According to one Gallup poll, some 71 percent of workers are not engaged, or are actively disengaged from their jobs. Sandi Mann, a British psychologist, has deemed boredom "the new stress." But while plenty of organizations talk about how to manage stress on the job, few talk about how to deal with boredom. Probably because most organizations don't want to admit that their employees are bored.