Work, Life, and a Glass Cage of Emotion
We’ve all done this. I know I have.
Why is my life ruled by work? Why am I just treading water?
My life is full of joy. Family. Health. Good food. Laughter. But for some reason, I’m not living that life. I’m living the work version. Watching from the outside as life happens while I sit in a glass cage of emotion.
Because let’s be real. The industry doesn’t just want our time. It wants our sanity. We work for peanuts, live for deadlines, and get treated like numbers on someone else’s spreadsheet. Overtime without pay? Normal. Leaving at 5pm? “Half day.” And now we’re begging for laptops so we can work from home instead of sitting in a dark office with the wolves.
Sound familiar?
My wake-up call came when my daughter asked, “When will you stop working so we can spend time together?” Cue flashbacks. Years of her watching TV while I sat next to her, glued to my laptop, meeting that 8am deadline that no one even remembers now.
That was it. Something had to change. So, how do we break themadness and start working to live again?
1. Stop Treating Urgency Like It’s Sacred
You’re not saving lives. You’re selling ideas. If the deadline moves to tomorrow, the planet will keep spinning. Breathe.
2. Redefine Success
Success isn’t a full inbox or another gold star from a client. It’s dinner with your family, a weekend that actually feels like a weekend, and sleep that isn’t guilt-fuelled.
3. Build Real Boundaries
Close the laptop. Step away. You don’t owe anyone round-the-clock access to your brain. You’re not Wi-Fi.
4. Speak Up
Unpaid overtime isn’t a rite of passage. It’s robbery in nice packaging. Ask for fair pay or fair time. One voice can start a shift.
5. Remember Why You Started
You got into this because you love it. The creativity. The chaos. The thrill. Keep that spark, but stop letting it burn you out.
Because when your kid says, “Can you stop working now?” that’s the only real deadline that matters.
Confessions of a Creative Coach
If you’re still online after 8pm, this one’s for you. Shut the laptop. Pour something good. You’ve earned it.
Carla le Roux | Creative and Confidence Coach
carla@be-extrabold.com
Share this with another creative who needs the reminder.
