{"id":41750,"date":"2023-10-20T15:16:13","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/marina-go-its-okay-not-to-be-120-percent-busy-every-second-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:16:13","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:16:13","slug":"marina-go-its-okay-not-to-be-120-percent-busy-every-second-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/marina-go-its-okay-not-to-be-120-percent-busy-every-second-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Marina Go: “It’s okay not to be 120 percent busy every second” – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Startup<\/div>\n

This time a year ago I would have been completing my first work week back following a Christmas break.<\/p>\n

I would have been exhausted having thrown myself back into it with many new ideas and the enthusiasm of the optimist that I am.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a strange feeling when your back-to-work week doesn’t involve set days or hours.<\/p>\n

Since transitioning out of a full-time executive career in favour of my \u2018second\u2019 career as a non-executive director 10 weeks ago, I have had to tell myself constantly that it\u2019s OK not to be 120 percent busy every second of the day.<\/p>\n

Without diarised parameters to separate work and play, there is the danger of being seduced by play.<\/p>\n

I became aware of this by midweek when, with sun blaring, I afforded myself a few hours at the beach at the request of a friend.<\/p>\n

It was a Wednesday and although the beach was relatively full I felt like I should have been at work. I found it hard to completely relax in the way that my companions, including a seasoned company director, were able to.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do in January?\u201d my company director friend had asked me in December.<\/p>\n

She went on to explain that very few boards held meetings in January, and to suggest that it would be a good chance to plan my year.<\/p>\n

I have a Wests Tigers board meeting in January and a diary that is filling up with networking opportunities. So I am busy, but my days are still largely unstructured.<\/p>\n

Shortly after I left full-time employment at the end of October, I had breakfast with a woman who had transitioned six years before.<\/p>\n

She explained her non-board meeting days to me.<\/p>\n

First thing in the morning she goes for a walk, sometimes with her husband and other times alone.<\/p>\n

That is followed by breakfast with her husband before they go their separate ways for the day.<\/p>\n

He heads off to work and she heads out for coffee and lunch with friends or peers.<\/p>\n

She is always back at her desk by 2pm and then works solidly until 6pm, reading board papers, researching industry news, staying up-to-date with governance issues.<\/p>\n

She told me that she sticks closely to her routine. It only changes if there is an afternoon meeting or appointment.<\/p>\n

In that case, the day flips, beginning with four hours of work and ending with the networking.<\/p>\n

My typical day will undoubtedly look different to that as I tend to spend many more hours each day connected to my laptop.<\/p>\n

However, I do understand the need to establish a routine, and quickly, before I either over-compensate by spending too many hours a day working, or become too accustomed to the leisure time that I have never had the luxury to enjoy previously in my career.<\/p>\n

I will get there, and enjoying the change so far!<\/p>\n

Marina Go is the former general manager of Hearst-Bauer, publisher of Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE and Cosmopolitan. She is a director of ASX-listed The Autosports Group, Odyssey House and McGrath Foundation. She’s also the author of Break Through: 20 Success Strategies for Female Leaders. <\/em><\/p>\n

This article was originally published on Women’s Agenda. <\/em><\/p>\n

Follow StartupSmart on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and iTunes.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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