Working on Weekends?

“Makarand, from your last post it looks like you work during vacation days, isn’t it? Do you work on the weekends?”

I get this question many times from my team members. Particularly when they see my emails sent over the weekend. Even though I may be sending mail over the weekend, I don’t expect responses back, before the week starts. Everyone has a different definition of work / life balance, and I respect it.

When you work for others, you will want to split work from your life. When you work for yourself, it does not matter. It’s not about your job or business. It’s about how you look at your work.

My way is very simple. Work is a significant part of my life, and I am not able to separate work from life. However I do separate the work activities from non-work activities.

The simple answer to achieve the balance is prioritization. 

Should I just waste my time doing nothing, just because it is a Sunday? 
There are times when my family members or friends really need my time, or I need a break from work. This is the time to schedule non-work activities. 

Rest of the time is for work. The work related activities get divided further in different categories. Some require the presence of others. Some need to be done at a specific time. Some need to be done when I am alone. Categorizing them this way makes it easier to schedule them.

Will you work this weekend?