My most recent post on Slaw focused on determining if you’re a work-based person or a workaholic. I compared myself to a husky, working dogs that without a task are easily bored and can be destructive. Pulling a sled gives them great satisfaction. I know I’m a ‘husky’ or a work-based person. I love to work. I love setting tasks and completing them, whether I’m paid for it or not. Even in my downtime I need projects like Lego to help me fully relax.

Being a work-based person isn’t something we should be ashamed of or cause concern – if kept in check. In my post I offered advice on how to know when our work-based tendencies tip over to the side of workaholism. And while I think I keep my tendencies under control, I also frequently worry I’m also thinking like an addict:

Sure, I work a lot, but I’ve got it under control.

I can just work a little bit more today … it’s not hurting me or my family.

Shortly after writing my post, I attended a webinar by Richard Martin, the CEO of The Mindful Business Charter, a movement of law firms and their clients aiming to reduce unnecessary stressors in the workplace. The webinar focused on Richard’s own experience as a lawyer suffering from mental health issues and how his experiences led him to his current work.

Richard recounted a story of visiting a horse farm while he was in recovery. He noticed that the horses were grazing in a large field, but each horse was partitioned off in a smaller area. When he asked why, the horse farmer explained that if horses are left to graze in a large, open field, they cannot control themselves and will eat until they are sick. The webinar is available for free on the Law Society of Saskatchewan website.

Like horses, the work-based person will just keep working until they are sick if boundaries aren’t put in place. I admit it is more difficult for me now that I can work remotely but here are a few things I do to keep from overgrazing:

• I make a distinction between work time and non-work time. Work ends at 4pm. If I’m working from home, I leave that space and don’t reenter until the next morning.
• I create a buffer between work and home. When I’m at the office, I try to walk home after work or at least change my clothes before leaving the office. If I’m working from home, I leave my house for a walk. It helps transport me from the office to my out-of-office space.

I’m not always successful. I need to constantly keep in mind that I’m a husky-horse hybrid and to act accordingly. I need to pull a sled but also need to fence myself in.