How many chapters is barking up the wrong tree?

The Big Idea

The Big Idea: The biggest takeaway from the book

“Work, work, work… or work-life balance?”

"Perfectionism aside, one cannot work 24/7. We all need to rest. A hobby. Something approximating work-life balance."- Barking Up the Wrong Tree, page 207

From the time he was a young boy, legendary baseball player Ted Williams knew he was destined for one thing. Williams pursued his dream of becoming one of the greatest baseball players of all time with a single minded, steely determination, devoting almost every second of his waking moments to improving his abilities. He eventually achieved greatness, but he also paid the price. His intense perfectionism caused irreparable damage to his personal relationships, namely with his wife and children. While all of us want to excel at whatever it is we’re devoting our lives to, most of us aren’t trying to be the Ted Williams of our chosen field. We simply can’t sacrifice the time, energy, and endure the mental and physical toll it takes to attain that level of greatness.

This notion of a work-life balance is a relatively new concept. From 1986-1996, the term appeared in the media a total of 32 times. In the year 2007 it garnered 1,674 references. So what accounts for this surge? It’s probably obvious: we’re all now constantly connected to our jobs by that little device in our pocket that’s become like an extra appendage–our phones. In the past, for most members of the workforce the day ended when you clocked out. Now we’re constantly faced with the decision of whether we want to play with our kid or spend time with our significant other, or respond to the unceasing barrage of emails that assault us nonstop. As valiantly as we’re trying to win this work-life battle, it’s a struggle many of us are losing.

As Barker reminds us, “Hours alone aren’t enough. Those hours need to be hard. You need to be pushing yourself to be better.”

The Insights below offer two ways for you to make the most of your time and achieve some semblance of work-life balance.

Insight #1

An actionable way to implement the Big Idea into your life

Ditch the To-do List and Schedule Everything

"Most of us use our calendars all wrong: we don’t schedule work, we schedule interruptions."- Barking Up the Wrong Tree, page 252-253

Barker agrees with Cal Newport: To-do lists “are the devil’s work.” Why? “Because the lists don’t give any consideration to time. Ever wonder why you never seem to get to the bottom of that list? You can easily list twenty-eight-hours worth of activities for a twenty-four-hour day. You need to be realistic about what you can get done in the time you have.”

So, what should we do instead? Schedule everything. As Barker points out, most of us tend to schedule those pesky things that interrupt our work (meetings, phone calls, doctor appointments, etc.) but rarely take time to block off the actual work. “If real work is the stuff that affects the bottom line, the stuff that gets you noticed, the thing that earns you raises and gets you singled out for promotion, well, let me utter blasphemy and suggest that maybe it deserves a little dedicated time too.”

Barker also advocates blocking off an hour each morning (when the majority of us are at our most productive) as “protected time.” Switch off your phone, close out of the browser with your email open, put a “Keep Out!” sign on the door—whatever you need to do to remain undisturbed for at least an hour. You’ll amaze yourself at just how much you can accomplish without anyone else making demands on your time.

Insight #2

An actionable way to implement the Big Idea into your life

Ending Your Day On Time

"Unless you want to hate your job, how you end the day matters a lot more than you might think."- Barking Up the Wrong Tree, page 256

Warning: this might be a little counterintuitive. So many of us have been inculcated with the notion that the one who arrives at the office first and is the last to leave is the one who climbs the ladder of success the fastest, and in many respects that’s true. But adhering to a set “end time” each day is a crucial component to achieving a work-life balance. When you fix a time to wrap things up each day, you make better use of the time you’ve allotted to get stuff done.

A “shutdown ritual” is an important step to ensuring a successful end time. Part of my shutdown ritual is responding to emails. This is also the ideal time to jot down and schedule those outstanding items that still need completing in order to preempt the “rehearsal loop” that will undoubtedly prey on your mind if you don’t. The rehearsal loop is that the voice that repeats itself interminably, keeping you awake at night or distracting you during downtime with friends or family (you all know what I’m talking about).