Our industry is driven by extremely passionate and dedicated people who share a common goal of educating the masses on the benefits of technology in the home. But, there’s a fine line between dedication and obsession, and the latter can come at a cost. Simon Wehr explains.

No matter what you’re working toward, or how daunting the road ahead may seem, it’s important to maintain a healthy balance between work and family life.

Several years ago, I found myself talking to a life coach about my seemingly insurmountable frustrations:

“Tell me about your average week,” he said.

“I work pretty long hours, travel three out of four weeks each month and there’s a lot of pressure,” I replied.

“So this makes you frustrated?”

“No… not really.”

“What does?”

“It’s that I don’t have any time to do what I want to do.”

This is a common problem for many people in the home automation industry.

“Why not?” my life coach asked.

“Well I have a nice house with a big garden, which is what I thought I wanted… but I spend the whole weekend mowing lawns, raking leaves, sweeping pine needles off my tennis court. I don’t get time to sit back, relax until Sunday evening and then I’m too exhausted to enjoy it.”

“So,” he said, “how do you feel when the first leaf falls onto your lawn?”

The twitch in my left eye was response enough. His prognosis: I had OCD.

And how did I fix it? I sold the house.

So, what’s the main difference between passion and obsession? Well, with passion you’re dedicated to the cause while still having sight of your surroundings. An obsession is all consuming and can cause you to become totally blind to everything else, including the needs of others.

Most custom installers I have spoken to around the world would say they do a good job of juggling their work and home life. But, if you ask their families you’ll get a different answer.

I remember being in the middle of a discussion with some of my dealers in Australia, when a wife started talking about her husband.

“He’s out the door before 5am, gets home at 7pm, gives the kids a kiss, takes his dinner into his office and works on proposals and programming until 11pm, and then comes to bed once I’m asleep,” she said.

Sound familiar?

In his eyes he is making the ultimate sacrifice for his family. In his family’s eyes, he is more interested in his business than them.

So how do you find a balance?

1. IDENTIFY YOU HAVE A PROBLEM
How do you know if you’re passionate or obsessive-compulsive?

A passionate person can still make a rational decision to stop something (even if they don’t want to) because they recognise the need to do something for others that is more important. An obsessive person has an uncontrollable need or urge to do something (even if it’s not critical), just because they always do it that way and will feel guilty if they don’t. They will find and justify excuses why they have to do what they’re doing. And they’ll believe it!

2. WORK SMARTER
It’s easy to continue to do things the same way because of routine, but the truth is we can be much more productive by working smarter. Look at creative ways of becoming efficient; for example, don’t try and squeeze a little bit of everything into one time period. Instead, dedicate a certain time each week to tasks such as business development, programming, proposals and finances.

We all know how long it can take for our brain to shift gear from one thought process to another (particularly if it’s something we don’t like doing or doesn’t come naturally). By tackling a single group of common tasks at a time, you will keep your momentum up and get a lot more done within the same time period.

3. SIMPLIFY
If you have an obsessive personality then chances are you want every single thing you do to be perfect. The reality is, nothing is or ever will be… and just as the leaf on my freshly mowed lawn drove me crazy, so too will your obsession for perfection.

You need to learn that your objective should always be fulfilling your client’s wishes and not yours. Always ask yourself: “Will the client know the difference and appreciate this, or am I doing it because I want it that way?”

If the answer is you, then it’s time to simplify. This will not only save time and your sanity, it will also improve your profitability, as it is difficult to justify an expense to a client for something they didn’t want or care about.

4. DELEGATE
This is one of the hardest things for us perfectionists to do. We believe that nobody can do anything as good as we can and we justify our thought process by saying to ourselves: “By the time I explain what I want, I could have done it myself.”

Everyone has to start somewhere and your team is not going to develop skills and knowledge unless you empower them. Sure, it may take a little mentoring and there will be some corrections along the way, but the time this will free up in long term will pay dividends. The added bonus is that you will create a sense of responsibility and pride in your team members, which will generate loyalty that goes way beyond their pay packet.

5. SLOW DOWN AND THINK CLEARLY
Slowing down seems like such a contrast to our fast-paced and rapidly advancing industry; however, the truth is it makes a lot of sense.

Sometimes we need to simply sit back, take a deep breath and collect our thoughts to come up with the right answer. Find something you enjoy doing that will allow you luxury of letting your thought process to flow freely. I took up cycling a year-and-a-half ago and I am not only amazed with how much better I can concentrate now that my physical fitness has improved, I also find it a wonderful time to simply think through some of the challenges I am facing in a distraction-free environment.

You may enjoy golf, running, walking, tennis… just make time for something that slows down your mad-paced work life and gives you time to think.

6. BE SPONTANEOUS
If you want to create a happy home life, show your family they mean more to you than your work. I have found that the best way to do this is by doing something spontaneous that they weren’t expecting, showing them that I feel a need to spend time with them.

It doesn’t have to be something expensive, or even take all day. Throw together a picnic and go to the beach or the local park, or simply go out for an ice cream and family walk after dinner. Equally importantly, make time for your wife/husband or partner and your kids individually. Learn what their personal love languages (as per The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman) are and do something specifically that they enjoy. Nothing creates a sense of self-worth and value like one-on-one time that is tailored to the individual emotional needs of that person.

Finding a balance in life is not only critical for your own state of mind, it is also imperative in keeping a happy home life. Always remember to ask yourself: “What am I working towards?”

If the answer is to provide a better quality of life for your family, then remember that the most valuable thing you can give them is your time.