Work to live > live to work

Hey friends! Following up on the Great Ketchup Debate I started recently with some important information: 15% of you believe the hot dog emoji doesn’t have ketchup on it for a reason 🌭 (hi, Chicagoans). Also, shoutout to WorkDaze reader Olyvia for introducing me to the Seattle Dog with cream cheese and grilled onions? BRB hopping the next flight out there.

Monday’s mood: “Unwritten” is the bop we all need for a little serotonin-induced reminder that we’re actually the best even when we feel like the worst.

—Rod

Work to Live > Live to Work

When we were little, the answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up?” was always a movie star, a princess, the president, a dog (okay, maybe that last one was just me). I never recall wanting to be an overworked and underpaid mid-senior manager.

Somewhere between chugging CapriSuns and college graduation, that Barbie dream life morphed into a less fun version of reality: We have to work hard to chase down that “next best thing” if we want to be successful…or so we’re told. Promotions, raises, big jobs—so much of how we define a happy life has become tied up in how high we can climb the corporate ladder.

But what if Heidi never really wanted that promotion? Would she still be friends with Elodie? What if we’re perfectly content working to live, not living to work? 🙋‍♂️

I’m more of a sleep and eat kind of person so the phrase “rise and grind” never once made me want to “attack the day.” These stats don’t help either:

• 40% of C-suite leaders say they’ll likely quit in the next year because of stress, according to a report from software company UKG.

• Two-thirds of senior-level women feel burned out, stressed, and overwhelmed from work and at-home responsibilities.

• Research shows that working overtime doesn’t guarantee higher productivity. In fact, countries that work less tend to get more done.

Which brings us here: Maybe there’s something to be said for taking a chill pill about that next promotion. So long as we can pay our bills, save a little bit, and find good reasons to get out of our comfy cozy beds…what’s so wrong with not being voted Most Likely to Succeed?

Choosing to spend time at a friend’s High School Musical-themed 33rd birthday party rather than at a client dinner doesn’t mean you’re not an ambitious person. It just means that who you are is about more than work—it’s about your family, friendships, and hobbies.

A growing number of people are into that kind of life. The pandemic reminded us how quickly things can change, shifting the way we think about work and traditional ideals re: climbing the ladder.

1. Layoffs and new job opportunities helped us realize our identities beyond our careers.

2. Flexible and WFH options gave us more time to spend with loved ones and do things we enjoy.

3. Job hopping helped us make career pivots and build career portfolios of diverse skill sets.

It’s taken me a hot minute to realize there’s more to life than chasing that promotion and being miserable while doing it, but I’m learning! I’m making sure to leave time to explore and nourish the things that bring me joy in life, and you should too! Because in the end, we have one life, and it’s our choice how to live it.

Who cares if you’ll always be the girl who didn’t go to Paris? Seems to have worked out pretty well for her…

Things to Slack your work besties

…after you all called in sick to go to the beach together.

Bye bye skyscrapers, hello…strip malls? 45% of millennials plan on buying a home in the ’burbs, thanks to flexible and WFH policies. Also, please tell me why I just sang Rihanna’s “Disturbia” and replaced it with “Suburbia” while reading this.

Watching this instantly reminded me that once upon a time I stayed up past 9:30 pm and didn’t have to take ibuprofen after doing the “Cupid Shuffle.” Reply and let me know your favorite millennial club song. Want to guess which one is my favorite?

Fun fact: Aubrey Plaza hasn’t seen season two of The White Lotus!? She sat down with Vanity Fair and cringed and critiqued (in a very April Ludgate way) her way through old scenes of Parks and Recreation, Ingrid Goes West, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and The White Lotus.

Thanks for hanging today! Wishing you a great week without an ounce of stress. See you back here on Friday!

IDK WHAT DO I KNOW?! LMAO!

—Rod