Mumbrella is closed – why I’m not going to sit in my Hobart hotel room writing stories

Good on you Tim! Have a great weekend.

good for you tim.

To hell with it all ……… go get yourself some retail therapy at the Cadbury factory!

Have a great weekend Tim.

Too many people have forgotten that it’s okay to have fun at work. (And I don’t mean an office ping pong table)

It’s gone badly wrong somewhere

Well said Tim, enjoy the weekend.

Good on you Tim, it really seems you devote every second of your waking life to Mumbrella.
I agree there seems like more and more crazy hours worked. This time of year is esp bad as everyone’s running on empty and clients decide they need to get something else in market before Xmas.
I too wish I knew what to do to fix it as I see friends and partners burning out and as you have mentioned (I think) in the US there’s a bit of movement with some of the industry’s top dogs bowing out to either work on their own projects or just get their life back.
I liked what Nigel Marsh had to say at TEDx this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXM7MpoVAD0

Enjoy your day/weekend

I love this Tim! Congrats. What a fabulous idea.

Enjoy and make sure you go to the Salamanca markets tomorrow!

Go B&T now’s your chance. Break something. Start a fight with a newspaper. Slam Saatchi’s. Anything! Quick!!!

I put together a pie chart the other day showing how much time during the week I spend at work vs how much time I spend on doing things I enjoy. It was both a depressing and enlightening moment.

Taking a day off is not lazy – it’s sensible. Look after yourselves and good onya Tim, don’t let this be your only break. We all suffer if you work too hard 🙂

As a casualty of cutbacks in recent times, I was working crazy hours trying to find another job. I have found a new level of stress in having no income. I went to the Doc for a check-up and rang the blood pressure bell and was sent to hospital for 5 days to get it down again. ECG’s, echo cardiograms, kidney scans and numerous pills later I’m out of hospital asking myself if it is all worth it , As the Doc said “Your job will kill you…and the crazy thing is they are just ads”

Nice one mate. Aus’ ‘longest working hours in the developed world’ is a sad and stupid badge to claim. It takes some courage to make sure folks go home on time – from the employer and employee. We need to be ashamed of the insecurity that has let us get to this point.

It is getting worse. I think part of the problem is because people have much greater access to creating their own media that they think it’s easy and quick to come up with professional media campaigns and quality media stories and they don’t want to pay much for it either. So those of us who try to make a living out of it have to do more with less and quickly to keep the public happy.

Sorry about the Hobart weather. It does like to turn crap at the most annoying times.

Reclaim your life, tell the boss goodbye.

Jobs don’t kill people, people kill themselves.

Maybe if you go take a dip in the water down there you’ll come out a better journalist. :O

Good on you!

What is with these Gen Y slackers?! Do you think the druids just woke up some days and said “fuck it, I don’t care about Stonehenge, think I’ll go smell the flowers in the meadow?”. Think those poor starving African children have mentla health days?

I’m quittting my family to spend more time at work.

Have a brilliant weekend Tim. Good advice for all.

Absolutely it’s getting worse. Absolutely it’s partly to do with the downturn leaving the ‘survivors’ carrying extra load and terrified of stopping (not to mention the need to catch up on business debt accumulated the bad ol’ days). But it’s time we all stopped and had a good hard think about what’s really important, and seized the life opportunities which won’t be presented again – after all, it’s not the late ad campaign or the lost clients we’ll regret on our deathbeds.

What is with these Gen Y slackers?! Do you think the druids woke up some days and said “fuck it, I don’t care about Stonehenge, I’m going to go smell the flowers in the meadow?”. Think those poor starving African children have mentla health days?

I’m quitting my family to spend more time at work.

Awesome post, so true! Have a great weekend tim!

Marie

Thankyou for writing that Tim, it’s like one of those elephants in the room nobody ever talks about with the quiet polite talk between tired colleagues who are trying to keep their chin up.
Somehow our industry seems to have lost the soul or life it once had, and yes it’s all about the money!
So here’s to taking out some time for ourselves and savouring the moment and people we love.

Well – I’ve run golf lessons for time poor media buyers in Sydney and we have a range of golf days coming up over the next 3 months that I’d like to offer to interested parties. Ping me for an invite.

Golf is often accused of taking family time these days which can be a challenge. But maybe I can help with the fun at work part?

Cheers

Hope the Hobart weather will clear by tomorrow, Tim! An interesting discussion and one that should be touched on more…it takes bravery to be honest about these things.

In fact, it’s sad when we feel guilty about taking a day off when it’s normally 7 on! Hands up who checks e-mails on sat and sunday just in case, gets the kids to bed then picks up where we left off in the day, knows the cleaners kids names, makes sure your security pass works on a weekend, knows the difference between RSS and RSI…
I remember when supermarkets closed at 12 on a saturday and servos weren’t open on a Sunday.. how’d we manage in them days.

Have a great weekend Tim!!!

Well deserved! Tim, you have single-handedly changed the face of media critiquing in Australia! Thank you.

wow. sucks to be in Hobart!

couldn’t you have had an epiphany in a better city?

It’s the social impact of technology. What was supposed to have saved us time just sped the pace of business up, we can now do more in less time. And we choose to do more work (rather than spend that time on life stuff). Add to that smart phones and blackberries and work/life balance becomes a myth. As someone wise once said to me, life has a use by date so make the most of it. The work will still be there on Monday. Enjoy the break Tim.

How true Tim – I’m one of those pathetic people trapped in a high-paying job that I detest, working with people I dislike and spending more time with them than my family. Damn it! I’m going to take the rest of the day off too!

A well deserved break. Tim, you have single-handedly turned the media and marketing world in Australia on it’s head! Thank you.

completely agree with John – take it easy mate.

🙂

Bill Gates entitled his book: Business at the speed of light. What an exhausting thought that is! 🙂

My mum always said i was ‘Blessed with no ambition’. Nice article, it’s good to keep things in perspective.

Yes, good stuff.

Last night I was sending emails at 10:30pm and was on the phone at 6:30am. With smart phones and lap tops you can’t get away from work.

Still, its more fun than being an accountant.

Well done and enjoy!

HIt up Barilla Bay oyster farm out near the airport, brilliant oysters that they pack for you to take on the plane!!

Well deserved! Enjoy

We’ve created our own monster in the race to squeeze more into our ever productive advertising lives…. enjoy Tim!

Good on you Tim! Lead by example!

There is a lighter side to the industry. See http://adstories.wordpress.com/

Feel free to add stories.

DFC.

Wisey_9 – I bet you’ve never been to Hobart? If you have you must hate great food and wine, art, prestine coastlines, fresh air and amazing views!

Tim – The Seafood Chowder at Rockwall is the best in the country.

Fantastic post! Good on you Tim! Have a great weekend in Tas… can I place an order of chuppa chups?! 😉

Oh c’mon. Do you think media and ad execs are alone in working too much? Have you taken a look at any of your friends who are lawyers, real estate agents, brokers, public servants, the list goes on and on. We all work too much. The myth that Aussies are laid-back has been nicely constructed. Was there an ad agency behind that?

Since you are reading Guthrie’s book, you will appreciate the two items slagging him in yesterday’s Australian for having a straight tie and getting his hair cut regularly.

Today the order has come down to Andrew Bolt, so it is his turn to take a swipe.

Very soon you will see more smears leaked to a well known Melbourne website run by an undischarged bankrupt who isn’t worth suing. Items like this for example:

http://www.vexnews.com/news/90.....-be-aired/

The funny thing is that the reaction to Gurthrie’s book confirms everything he says about his former employer.

If you accept that fairfax is close to going under for good, the need to break up Murdoch’s near monopoly is vital. When fairfax sinks, Murdoch will have a near 100% domination.

The Greens now have the numbers and influence to push this breakup. They should be making it a top priority.

Tim, have a Boags on me.

E N J O Y

Great decision Tim! Enjoy your day off.

I work with a fantastic team, we spend most of our time laughing and aren’t shy to turn off our computers and go home on time. A great manager identifies that work / home life balance generates a great team culture, promoting loyalty, passion for your product and hard work when the time is needed. I’ve had numerous better offers but after weighing up the pro’s & con’s decided to stay put.

Money isn’t everything and life is way too short.

a former boss once told me at a review, “the most successful people i know work 12-14 hours a day”, “the office is a very lonely place on a saturday morning”, “work-life balance is gen y bullshit”.

this attitude needs to change. good on you tim. have a relaxing weekend away from your computer.

Loved the article. It’s so true. I see all my friends working harder than ever and they are less happy than ever. What’s it all about? Something has to change. ‎”You cannot hold onto the old all the while declaring that you want something new. The old will defy the new; the old will deny the new; the old will decry the new. There is only one way to bring in the new. You must make room for it.” Neale Donald Walsch

Well said Tim. Too often we allow work to interrupt our home life – it’s time home life got it’s own back! Have a great weekend in Tassie – one of Australia’s most amazing places.

You don’t have to be well paid in media to be working 60 hour weeks. It’s a pity that this is only addressed and acknowledged in posts like this – I don’t see any companies doing anything to alleviate the situation, just many many people experiencing diminished mental health through burn out, and wishing away 5/7 of their life waiting for the weekend

I know Gen-Y gets slammed in the media for a different train of thinking (Baby Boomers vs Gen-Y La Di Dah). I think it is wrong. Could it not be that for once the older generational mentality could learn something from the younger generations?

We have seen the mistakes of our parents and grandparents who worked ridiculous hours. We saw marriages break down, we saw people -real human beings- work because they had to and not because they wanted to. We saw foul behaviours of sexism, we saw uprisings, we saw an empty seat at the table were mum, or mostly dad, never sat because he/she was still working at 8pm or later.

My motto is don’t work longer just work smarter and find a job where you feel engaged, if not then don’t do it. And don’t be so seduced by material wealth, nurture the ships in your life and you are the richest person in the world.

…sadly my generation (I’m 26) are becoming more seduced by materialism and success.

But life is grand, I was eating a beautiful meal last night and it was so simple and I was with my wonderful man and that was all I needed… that is all any girl needs really.

Great article.

So nice to hear this issue being raised! I often wonder why working 10+ hours per day is the norm in our industry, when our clients get to go home at 5pm. The long hours flow on to the lack of family friendly policies and allowances; which is the main reason that you don’t see many older females remain in the industry.

Pommy Bludger

Brilliant post Tim. Thoroughly enjoy Mumbrella. Have a weekend ‘most brilliant’

you’re fired!

Don’t discount the emergence then rise and rise of holding companies.

Accountants running agencies incentivized to squeeze more blood from stones to hit their numbers and get their bonuses.

Output up, head count down, more $ for a few select ‘gentlemen’ often far away in lovely penthouse.

Mr. Burns is delighted.

I’ve actually written myself a 6 day plan to re-prioritise my life! Seems like it’s a common thing to suffer work-life imbalance these days.

Ken Robinson’s book The Element offers a great antidote to swimming against the tide, struggling to achieve success or happiness when you’re not doing what you’re passionate about.

The book asks a very valid question…
What do I want to be remembered for? Once you know that, you can work your way towards creating a memorable existence.

You have inspired me to grab a couple of like minded colleagues and head to the Bavarian Beer Cafe for the rest of the day.Thank you!

Well said spunky – the amount of 12 hour days I know 40k a year account execs do is bordering on criminal.

The interesting question here is, why do we do it? I don’t think its the money – if my experience in an agency is anything to go by. Is it the love of the fast paced life, is it that fear if we move in-house or take a less than 100kph role that we will be suddenly out of the loop? I’m not sure.

PS – Just a thought if people really hate their jobs so much, call me crazy but surly you could look for another one?…go on do something meaningful

Good stuff Tim. Enjoy a day off.

I worked a 4 day week for a while a few years ago and was offered the Monday or Friday off. It was a tough decision. I say bring in the 4 day week. It was superb.

hey Tim – amazing response from this post ! One of the reasons I enjoy being freelance. Have a great weekend! My husband just walked in and said – miserable wet day – good day for a Friday lunch. Too right. mmm where will we go? Enjoy Hobart Tim ! Jenni

I find that for me, each day of working hours could be divided into hours that could be categorised as ‘quality’, ‘satisfactory’ or ‘destructive’.

Quality hours are great for the tough/important stuff. Satisfactory is good for all the admin/email/basic-planning. Destructive is for putting bugs into code or driving full speed in the wrong direction on a design, miscommunicating or getting unreasonably pissed off with clients or coworkers.

How many hours fall into which category basically ends up depending upon whether I’ve had enough of a recharge from the day before – sleep, healthy diet, and mental refresh/morale-boost.

Working beyond the hours where I’m doing quality or satisfactory work basically guarantees I’m doing rubbish or even counterproductive work at the time, as well as cutting down on recharge time and so guaranteeing I’ll be doing less quality work tomorrow.

I know plenty of people that work ridiculously long hours but are basically mass producers of rubbish and confusion, which in the end has to be sorted out by everyone else.

Good post.

Thanks Tim, you hit a nerve.

My dear beloved dad was a leading Corporate Treasurer and he had a rule that served him from the Kerry Packers to Goodman Fielders – 6PM, home to mum and the kids – rarely one spend his family time at all the corporate do’s and functions.

The interesting thing is that nearly all of his bosses, peers and staff respected and appreciated the value.

He enjoyed work but it wasn’t central to who he was.

In retirement he’d play guitar or go fishing everyday. To see your parent smile is a joy – it’s those memories that stick.

Enjoy it people – now time for a good old long lunch with the crew.

Fat Forty and Fired…..read the book. It’s all been said before. Must be lunch time. See ya

Great to hear downtime brings innovation but remember there is still people like me who wish I could be back in a job to work those long hours again. We are those hangover from the trimmings of the GFC- who had high profile jobs that ruled their life and were popped off so easily. Those that now still long for a job to be burnt out from. Seems as a nation we are terrible at getting that balance- all or nothing. SO what is the lesson? Moderation!

Tim I applaud you!!

Media was fun & creative in the glory days….of long lunches and laughter. It’s the people who remember we’re PEOPLE not media machines who will have longevity.
Loved reading this today, thankyou! 😉

Life is not a job…

I’m not going to work too! and get paid today’s wage for my efforts!

A wise man once said, when comparing work to family, “You’re job won’t love you back.”

That wise man?

John Candy. Ate himself to death. But it’s still wise advice. More cake anyone?

Actually I think he said “Your job won’t love you back”.

In an industry that is burdened by a 40% unemployment rate, I believe the fear factor of losing your job has a lot do do with the excessive number of hours worked. As for just finding another job…easier said then done ar a senior management level. The trail of destroyed lives of those who are employed and unemployed is simply tragic. If you are in the position of feeling that’s a bit overly dramatic, consider yourself fortunate but look over your shoulder.

GOOD ON YOU TIM!!

I’m just starting out in the industry and decided a while ago that I’m NOT going to work the stupid hours with so little reward (money won’t make a bad situation tolerable IMO).

So be it if I get ‘left behind’….I’ll be the one who’s happy and who has a life-back there in the crowd 🙂

It was once explained to me by my Financial Director that because the agency had dropped their fees so low in order to win business, essentially the work we did 9-5:30 just covered the costs of doing business.

The chargeable head-hours for work done after 5:30 and on the weekend represented the profit. If you wanted to be more profitable, the strategy was pretty simple.

Mate it’s taken me nigh on 50 years to get my work/life balance balanced and btw I (still) love, really love, advertising … it’s a drug that I can’t kick anyway. And if the option is to retire to Hobart (brrr…snowing on Mt Wellingtion is it?) or Gold Coast (euthaniasi in white shoes) there is no option but to stay on them

That’s good enough for me! Outta here!

P.S. A really good friend of mine worked at Nova (DMG) and would relay exactly the same. Fortunately he got out after about 6 months.

Glazed Ham … I think I’ve worked out the strategy. Get a better Finance Director or whoever is responsible for charging the appropriate rate.

I was grabbed by your headline, having just spent 3 days in Sydney (normally live near Hobart) where I worked in my hotel room until midnight each day. Like you, from talking with many people I also have the impression that it is getting worse, with so-called ‘knowledge workers’ doing the job of 3 people. You can grow your business by getting the same people to do/sell three times as much, but don’t be surprised when you lose them all. That said, it is each person’s responsibility to look after themselves. It is often our own fault for accepting more and more, then grumbling about it.
P.S. Come down the Huon Valley on the weekend, it’s a brilliant place. Weather not looking so hot right now though!

Nice post. Yes you must stop and wonder every now and then why other people can get by working less hours, or why the whole world works 9-5 (or more) it doesn’t make sense not every job can take that long.

Some very successful companies have a no overtime policy and send everyone home at 5, why is that?

Nice one, Tim. There is definitely a kind of badge of honor people in the media and marketing industry seem to think they need to attain by taking on unreasonable work loads. I’ve been in a few roles that have required a pound or more of my flesh but it’s just not my bag these days. Last year, I actually managed to find a senior four-day-a-week role with an agency. Listen up agency bosses, if you want happy, ultra-motivated, loyal staff who work effectively and efficienty, let them spend a day a week at home with their kids.

This five-day-week til midnight lark is a joke.

People work for people. I have been in jobs where the culture results in everyone leaving the office around 8pm every night. That is nonsense. Once in a while if there is a deadline, but c’mon it doesn’t have to be that way every day!

Technology should aid our work life balance! Managers please note: Empower and trust your staff and let them work and if that means the job is finished then let them go home.

Think ‘effectiveness’ over activity metrics and if the job gets done well, without the long hours, then you are getting it right. Culture is so important in a working environment. Be smart and efficient, your clients don’t care if you have put 12 hour days in for them – they just want results and don’t care how you get them…

Thanks for the reminder that its not all just about work Tim, good on you for drawing the line.I think its an ongoing battle in the media industry sometimes its hard to say that just because I love what i do, doesn’t mean i want to do it all night and weekend for free. I love working hard, but sometimes i want to leave the office before 10pm because I have family and friends who I love just as much!

great article.

some people are burnt out from working too hard. some people work long hours ineffectively (and get burnt out), some people love being in the office and have great fun being there. some people work quickly and effectively. lots of people work and sleep, work sleep, work sleep. thats not good. some people whinge and aren’t grateful they have a job! whatever one you are, balance is the key. it’s a pretty simple formula.

I find balance very important for my work-life. That, and don’t look down.

Media and ad industry loves to push the notion they are overworked.

Generally it’s just hopelessly inefficient. Majority of work hours are spent messing around on the Internet or over investing time wise on the trivial.

The number of contributions is testament to how great this problem is within our industry. I recently took 6 months off after being burnt out – giving all my social and work time to a major corporate. It was the best 6 months of my life. I realised that I could actually live on a lot less money when I didnt have to pay people to do all the normal things that people with time can do for themselves. I have re-entered the workforce – but on a 12 month contract – so I have my escape clause and am saving for that next fantastic break.
Go Tim ! Enjoy!

As if.

I’ve worked in plenty of agencies, and there is one thing in common at all of them. If you guys spent less time stuffing around and more time doing real work during business hours you wouldn’t need to put the long hours in at the end of the job. It’s that simple.

Deadline junkies, one and all…and you reap what you sow when it comes to burnout.

We’ve just been through the GFC, clients want more, there is less money around, we are all working harder to get to the same place, and technology enables 24/7 access to the office. And spare a thought for anyone in new media – which beats not to the drum of a business model lost, but a business model not yet quite found… The money is good, but you need mental health months – whole months – to keep the fire alive. Enjoy Tassie Tim. Take a sickie on Monday and climb Cradle Mountain.

I 100% agree with you Tim – hope you enjoyed a well deserved day off! Last year sent some shock waves through the industry and saw many people having to fill in the gaps when their teams were retrenched.

Some may say this sorted out the wheat from the chaff but also put huge strains on the people left in agencies working their butts off to service accounts whilst in fear of being retrenched themselves.

These were very stressful and uncertain times.

Now the industry is bouncing back a lot of these burnt out workers are being expected to keep the same pace up – for the same salaries and incentives.

This is why we are seeing a large rise of people moving around looking for better rewards and work life balance.

After working my bollocks off in agencies for the last 7 or 8 years my advice to people is get out of media/advertising and get client side.

Its 9am starts and tumbleweeds by 5.15pm…after my fourth day I was ‘back’ at the office working past 6.30pm and I was asked by a company veteran, “What are you still doing here – you are working very late?”

I nearly fell off my comfortable new corporate issue swivel chair!

Besides better perks, a bonus, less hours, less stress and lower expecations – you feel like you can breath and can actually take the time to think, plan and consider what you are doing…and its also great only having one master and not two!

Do it.

Wow – huge response to this post.

Having worked in Media for over ten years and now having my own Coaching business – specialising in working with Media and Creatives – this is a story I hear a lot.

The question is really about you deciding what you are prepared to give.

What is a fair exchange that allows you to be passionate about what you do, without losing yourself and your life to your job?

What is most important to you in the context of your work and your life?

There is no doubt there is a great sense of satisfaction that comes from doing engaging work, and to make that sustainable means you have to find the balance and a role that is right for you.

If people spent less time messing around on internet forums and focused more on being effective in their job’s they would have all of their work finished come 5pm…

I think people are expected to work long hours in this business.

People leaving at 5.30pm is almost looked as unprofessional. We should learn from Latin American countries, They have a siesta in the middle of the day (after they have lunch with their families) .

Focusing on productivity rather than time would be a better way to live.

I think this is actually a piece of guerilla marketing by Tourism Tasmania.. All I want to do after reading it is go and eat seafood chowder and sink boags in Hobart! Good post Tim.

Yep, believe it or not your in-box won’t explode, you won’t lose your job and no-one will die if you take an early mark one day.

Having 3 weeks forced leave (childcare shutdowns) over Christmas and can’t wait!

Another secret I have found is that you work 10x more efficiently if you have to be out of the office by 5.