- Blog By
Ms. Sumita Sen Mazumdar
Erode – KG Academic Coordinator
The Indian Public School
May 16, 2020 | In Blog 
It may not be your day but the evening is definitely yours.
Are you that person who continues to send work-related messages, emails, forwards, etc., way past designated work hours, all times of the evening, night and wee hours of the morning too?
Stop the bombardment please. It doesn’t make you look busy or important.
On the contrary, you’re seen as someone who manages their time poorly and has no respect for boundaries or general etiquette.
There is a time and place for everything in our lives, whether personal or professional.
Now, there may a situation where you’ve bitten more than you can chew. You may have voluntarily taken up a project or been assigned work by a superior that has an unrealistic time frame for submission. Well, speak up! If you are certain that this is something that cannot be reasonably accomplished however much you increase effort, it must be communicated to those involved. Managing expectations and delivery is a good practice that will take you far in life and also improve the quality of your daily life.
It’s up to us to balance all areas of our life smoothly without disrupting the lives of other people around us. That is the sign of a well-educated & well-adjusted adult.
It’s not as if these things aren’t taught to us in our childhood and early impressionable years. Remember how mum & dad taught us to mind our P’s & Q’s or how if you disturbed grandpa’s afternoon nap time, you’d probably have gotten an earful directly or an indirect lecture via your parents about ‘discipline.’
Furthermore, any good school or educational institution, and especially premium schools will imbibe in children the value of respecting their own time and that of others, the importance of etiquette and boundaries too.
So, where along the line do people forget? Why the compromise on personal quality? How you talk, carry yourself, communicate with others is the brand ‘you.’ Why allow such a dismal brand image of yourself? This is a question we need to ask ourselves. Is it because we have let things slide in what we expect from others? Does that in turn makes us think it’s alright to display bad manners ourselves? You see how this vicious cycle can continue with standards going from bad to worse.
Like Gandhi said, “be the change you want to see.”
First, we must take care of ourselves before we can give to others. Use discretion in taking calls and replying to unnecessary texts. Don’t be available to everyone all the time. Respect your family’s time as well. Evenings should be family time or recreation time depending on where you are in life.
Once you start respecting yourself in how you receive communication, that respect will also start reflecting in your outgoing interactions with others through whatever modern form of communication you choose.
Ask yourself is it really necessary I ruin their after-work hours with this work email? Can it wait for the workday tomorrow? Do I need to improve my own efficiency so I can finish sending all work-related communication during designated work hours?
So, unless you work in shifts, do enjoy evenings and nights relaxing with family or friends; spend this time decompressing, recharging your energies for tomorrow. Don’t forget to let other people enjoy their family time too.
Go on then…enjoy your evening!
