Time Is the Real Bonus: Reserving Your Best Energy for the Ones You Love
Yesterday was the last "meeting" of the year. But it wasn't a typical meeting. The room was decorated with care, lunch was catered, and instead of project updates and KPI reviews, there was laughter, stories, and genuine engagement. For once, no one was checking their watch or glancing at their phone under the table. It was a noticeable moment of camaraderie in a professional setting that can often feel transactional. Everyone left that room lighter, reminded that relationships are the real infrastructure of any workplace.
It made me realize how easy it is to forget what leadership is really about. Not just strategic plans or performance metrics, but people. And more specifically, how we show up for people - as whole individuals, not just as job titles. The experience lingered, especially as we head into the holiday season, a natural time for reflection. When we often feel as though we are 'running a marathon at a sprinting pace' and clocking 60-70 hours per week, we often convince ourselves that staying busy equals being effective. But what if pausing is part of the work?
Most weeks, I’m measuring my value in emails answered, problems solved, and fires put out. Yet as I looked around that room, it was obvious: the moments I’ll remember are not the late-night spreadsheets, but the people and the presence I have too often put on hold.
The Power of the Pause
Pausing isn't about stopping progress. It's about creating space to notice what we usually miss. Neuroscience research shows that taking deliberate breaks enhances cognitive function, decision-making, and emotional regulation (Hölzel et al. 2011)1. Leaders who take time to pause are more likely to tap into empathy and creativity - two competencies that are essential but often diminished in high-stress environments.
I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that stepping back doesn’t make me less committed. It makes me more intentional. When I pause, I’m better at choosing what truly needs my attention, and what can wait or be delegated. This clarity helps reduce burnout, which is not just a personal risk but an organizational liability. According to the World Health Organization, burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed (WHO 2019)2. Leaders have a responsibility to model healthier rhythms for their teams, starting with their own.
Redefining Success Beyond the Job Title
I often tied my identity to my profession. Promotions felt like validation, packed calendars signaled importance, and exhaustion was a badge of honor. But titles can be precarious; they can change with a reorg, a retirement, or a budget cut. What remains is how we lead and whom we impact. Leadership at its core is about influence, not hierarchy.
Researchers in organizational psychology have emphasized the importance of intrinsic motivation and value-driven leadership over positional authority (Deci and Ryan 2000)3. When we define ourselves by purpose rather than role, we become more resilient and adaptable. That shift has helped me realize that I am not my profession or title. I am a mentor, a sister, a friend, a learner - and those identities deserve as much energy and care as my professional one.
For a long time, when someone asked, “So, what do you do?” I answered with my role, not my life. The subtext was clear: my job was my identity. The data backs up how common and costly this mindset is. In 2025, one report found that 82% of employees are at risk of burnout, with workload and long hours as major drivers. Another analysis showed that working 55 or more hours a week increases the risk of stroke by 35% and death from heart disease by 17% compared to a standard 35-40-hour week.
When our sense of self is fused to our output, we ignore those signals. We tell ourselves, “This is just a busy season,” even when the busy season never ends. Redefining life beyond the job title starts with a simple but uncomfortable truth: our worth does not rise and fall with our calendar invites.
Time as a Gift, Not a Commodity
One of the most valuable lessons I've embraced is that time isn’t just a resource to allocate for productivity. It’s a gift we give to others and ourselves. During the holidays, this becomes more obvious. Time spent with loved ones, time spent resting, or even time spent doing nothing at all can be its own form of leadership. It shows others that they are valued, not for what they do, but for who they are. Life is precious and temporal. Embrace loved ones with gratitude and full presence; work will always be there on Monday mornings, but nobody is granted the promise of the next birthday or holiday with our loved ones. What I wouldn't give to spend one more day with my father...
A longitudinal study by Harvard researchers supports this, finding that strong relationships are one of the most significant predictors of long-term well-being and happiness (Waldinger and Schulz 2015)4. That means time with people we care about isn’t a distraction from our goals - it’s foundational to our ability to lead well over the long haul. If leadership is about sustainability, then investing time in relationships is a strategic choice and a sentimental one.
Research on overwork shows that long hours don’t only affect the person working; they ripple out into families and relationships. One study found that partners of people who work long hours report higher stress, less “time adequacy” together, and lower relationship quality. Another body of work on work-family conflict shows that overwork amplifies emotional exhaustion and undermines mental health, especially for professionals juggling intense roles and responsibilities at home.
That means every extra late night is not just “more dedication to the mission” - it may also be less presence with the people you love. In a world where 77% of Americans say they’ve felt stressed by work in the last month and a majority report burnout at some point, choosing to give unhurried, undistracted time to loved ones becomes a radical act. Time is not just a resource to pour into work; it is a gift that can repair, deepen, and strengthen the relationships that outlast any job.
Balancing Mission and Mental Health
Many professionals are driven by mission. We care deeply about the work and the people it serves. But mission without margin leads to burnout. Mental health is not a personal issue to be dealt with in private; it’s a leadership issue that affects team performance, retention, and culture. Leaders who prioritize mental health - their own and others’ - build more resilient teams.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has identified job stress as a critical factor impacting employee health and performance (NIOSH 2021)5. Leaders must normalize conversations about mental health and model behaviors that support it. That includes taking vacation, setting boundaries, and encouraging others to do the same. It’s not about doing less, but about doing what matters most - in a sustainable way.
Long working hours are consistently linked to higher odds of burnout and poorer mental well-being. One large study found that once people cross roughly 60 hours per week, their odds of work-related burnout more than double compared to those working around 40 hours.
Balancing mission and mental health is not about caring less - it is about caring wisely. That might look like:
Saying “no” to the extra project that will push you from stretched to broken.
Setting a hard stop time and actually honoring it.
Carving out time for lunch (someone once reminded me that "lunch is a law, not a luxury.")
Treating therapy, coaching, or rest not as luxuries, but as professional infrastructure.
The mission matters. So does the human carrying it.
Why Stepping Back Makes Us Better Leaders
Every time I’ve stepped back - whether for a weekend, a vacation, or a quick 5 mile run - I’ve come back with better questions, clearer priorities, and more patience. Distance gives us perspective. It allows us to see patterns we miss when we’re too close to the work. It also sends a signal to our teams: that trust and delegation are real, not just buzzwords.
Leadership development experts emphasize the value of reflection and strategic disengagement as tools for better decision-making (Day et al. 2014)6. Just like athletes need rest days to perform at their best, leaders need recovery periods to lead effectively. Stepping back isn’t a retreat. It’s preparation for the next leap forward. And it often reveals that some of the problems we thought were urgent could actually wait, or be solved in simpler ways.
Studies show that detaching from work - even for short periods - reduces burnout symptoms and increases resilience and engagement when people return. Time off, especially when it includes true psychological detachment, has been linked to higher creativity, better problem-solving, and improved productivity. Our brains need space to rest replenish attention, and boost motivation.
Some of the most innovative leaders build in intentional “think time” - days or weeks where they disconnect from the noise, read, reflect, and let their minds wander. That wandering, that boredom, that pause is not wasted; it is where new ideas and clearer perspectives emerge.
Stepping back is not stepping down. It is stepping up into a version of leadership that is sustainable, creative, and deeply human.
Practical Ways to Pause (Even When You’re Overbooked)
If you’re used to 65-plus-hour weeks, the idea of “unplugging” can feel unrealistic, even irresponsible. Change does not have to be dramatic to be meaningful. Consider:
Micro-pauses during the day
Block 10-15 minutes between meetings with no email, no phone, and no tasks - just a walk, a stretch, or a quiet moment. Even short recovery periods are linked to lower stress and better focus.Tech boundaries after hours
Pick one or two evenings a week where you stop checking messages after a certain time. Let your team know your boundary and stick to it.Device-free time with loved ones
Designate one meal a day or a block of weekend hours as device-free. Use that time to talk, listen, play, or simply be around each other.An intentional “off” day
Even if you can’t take a full vacation, choose a day - or a half-day - over the holidays where you ignore work entirely. No “just checking in,” no “quick replies.”
An Invitation to Unplug
If you’ve spent this year sprinting from one deadline to the next, answer this honestly: when was the last time you felt fully present - not as your job title, but as yourself?
Why not give yourself permission to close the laptop, silence the notifications, and step away? Not as a reward you have to earn, but as a basic requirement to keep going. The data is clear: overwork drains your health, strains your relationships, and dulls your creativity. The pause is not optional if you want a life - and a career - that lasts.
Log off. Be with your people. Be with yourself.
You have given so much of your time to your work.
Now, give some of it back to your life.
Bibliography
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36-43.
World Health Organization. (2019). Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. Retrieved from https://www.who.int
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.
Waldinger, R. J., & Schulz, M. S. (2015). The Harvard Study of Adult Development. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved from https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). (2021). Stress at Work. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/stress/
Day, D. V., Fleenor, J. W., Atwater, L. E., Sturm, R. E., & McKee, R. A. (2014). Advances in leader and leadership development: A review of 25 years of research and theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 63-82.
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ABOUT THE ROLE Reporting to the CEO, the Chief Equity Officer leads the strategic and visionary priorities of the Office of Equity. This includes building on and executing the district's Race and Equity Action Plan, which emphasizes fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), building diverse staffing, ensuring equitable educational opportunities, and increasing equity in operational and resource support. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Provide strategic leadership to the Office of Equity, ensuring the ongoing success of the Black Student Success Plan, Curriculum Equity Initiative, and other district goals - Manage the development and performance of the Office of Equity team - Partner with senior leaders and departments to embed equity into strategic plans and rigorously assess district policies - Establish key performance indicators and internal accountability measures, continuously analyzing equity data - Develop and monitor targeted strategies to eliminate student opportunity and achievement gaps - Implement comprehensive learning plans to increase cultural competence and address implicit bias among district staff - Collaborate with department leaders to develop professional learning resources for culturally sustaining curriculum - Drive strategic initiatives to increase diversity within the teaching force, leadership pipelines, and vendor contracts - Coordinate internal funds, external resources, and community partnerships to support equity initiatives - Serve as a district liaison to City Hall, community organizations, and external partners MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university - Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in a leadership role developing and monitoring initiatives around diversity, racial equity, inclusion, or related work - Minimum of 7 years of supervisory experience - Experience leading a large complex organization and stakeholders to reach ambitious goals around major change management initiatives - Experience guiding the analysis of data and data-based inquiry to drive improvement - Experience coordinating and delivering professional development for internal and external stakeholders SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Master's Degree preferred - Experience in a school district, government, or non-profit organization in a major urban setting is highly preferred - Deep knowledge of research, principles, and practices around diversity, inclusion, and racial equity - Ability to engage stakeholders in challenging dialogue around racial identity, implicit bias, and systemic racism - Passion and urgency for addressing racial inequities and improving the lives of students and families - Must establish and maintain Chicago residency within 6 months of hire (Illinois residency required for all employees) SELECTION PROCESS Not specified in the job description HOW TO APPLY Not explicitly detailed in the text; applicants should apply through the Chicago Public Schools careers portal using Job Number 260000XO EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Employer: Chicago Public Schools - Location: Central-42 W Madison St (Chief Equity Office) - Job Number: 260000XO - Position Type: Non-Union Position - Job Grade: S13 - Overtime Status: Exempt - Benefits: Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, behavioral health), financial security (life and disability insurance, pension plans, 403b and 457b retirement plans), and work-life balance (paid leave, sick leave, vacation days, parental leave)
ABOUT THE ROLE The Boston Public Library is seeking a Chief of Library Services to serve as the senior executive responsible for the strategic direction and operational delivery of library services across the BPL system. Acting as a principal deputy to the President, this role leads the Library Services Division, including branch libraries, the Central Library, collections, digital services, and youth and adult services, fostering a culture of efficiency, innovation, and accountability. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Develop a comprehensive vision and strategic direction for all public services across the BPL system. - Provide strategic and operational leadership, directing departments to set and achieve goals. - Shape a forward-looking innovation agenda informed by emerging trends in libraries and education. - Develop an approach to outcomes and impact evaluation, establishing meaningful benchmarks. - Collaborate with the President and senior leadership on strategic planning and resource allocation. - Serve as a delegate for the BPL President when necessary. - Provide oversight and guidance on the management of departmental budgets. - Ensure equity, diversity, and inclusion are reflected in division priorities and operations. - Represent the BPL across local, state, national, and global communities. - Identify and champion strategic partnerships and serve as a liaison to the Boston Public Library Fund. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - An advanced degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited program. - At least seven years in senior leadership roles within public libraries or complex cultural or civic institutions. - Experience in a municipal urban public library, preferably in a union environment and a multi-level, distributed organization. - Thorough knowledge of public library services, current practices, and strategic plan execution. - Proven ability to develop and implement a strategic vision across multiple locations and departments. - Experience leading teams through organizational growth or transformation. - Experience setting and managing complex budgets in a fiscally responsible manner. - Outstanding written and oral communication skills with the ability to represent the organization effectively. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Boston residency is strictly required. - Must successfully clear a City of Boston Criminal Offenders Record Information (CORI) check. - Further credentials in public administration, public policy, business administration, or education are desirable. - Experience in advocacy or government affairs is considered an asset. SELECTION PROCESS - Applications will be reviewed for minimum qualifications and senior leadership experience in public libraries. - Candidates will be evaluated on their strategic planning, budget management, and team leadership skills. - Final selection is strictly contingent upon passing a CORI check and verification of Boston residency. HOW TO APPLY 1. Visit the official Boston Career Center website or the Boston Public Library careers page. 2. Search for the position using Req ID 2026-31880 or the title Chief of Library Services. 3. Click the apply button to submit your application, resume, and cover letter online. 4. For questions regarding the position, contact adavis@bpl.org. 5. Ensure your application is submitted before the posting end date of October 28, 2026. EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Employer: Boston Public Library - Department: BPL Director's Office - Position Type: Regular Full-Time - Hours per week: 35 - Union/Grade: PL2 / Non-Union/PM-9 - Posting End Date: October 28, 2026 - Equal Opportunity Employer: Yes
ABOUT THE ROLE The City of Boston Law Department seeks an experienced attorney to serve as the Legal Advisor to the Boston Public Schools. Reporting to the Corporation Counsel, this role provides critical legal counsel to the Superintendent, the School Committee, and senior staff. The Legal Advisor leads the Office of the Legal Advisor at BPS, managing a wide variety of legal matters including operations advice, civil litigation, educational plan appeals, and contract negotiations to support the district's mission. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Advise the Superintendent, School Committee, and BPS leadership on employment, contracts, procurement, school law, and real property matters. - Guide the implementation and drafting of new policies, procedures, and departmental methods. - Supervise an office of eight attorneys, paralegals, and staff in litigation, contract review, and advising. - Provide direct support for high-profile negotiations, complicated procurements, and RFPs. - Appear in federal and state courts on behalf of the City of Boston for high-priority cases. - Develop strategies for motions, trials, and settlements, and review attorneys' written work. - Oversee public records requests, subpoenas, student record requests, and discovery matters. - Implement standard contract and litigation processes to ensure compliance in spending public funds. - Conduct annual performance evaluations of direct reports. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - Juris Doctor degree. - At least nine years of experience as a lawyer in a law firm or government legal office. - Significant civil litigation experience, including discovery and trial work. - Admission to the Massachusetts Bar and current active registration status with the Board of Bar Overseers. - Ability to organize, manage, and supervise litigation matters and a staff of attorneys. - Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a focus on detail and sound judgment. - Experience in education, employment, or government law is highly preferred. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Boston residency is strictly required for this position. - Must be able to work a hybrid schedule. - Must possess the ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain accuracy and attention to detail in all legal matters. SELECTION PROCESS - Applications will be reviewed by the City of Boston Law Department for minimum qualifications and relevant legal experience. - Candidates will be evaluated on their civil litigation background, supervisory experience, and knowledge of education or government law. - Final selection will include verification of Massachusetts Bar admission and Boston residency. HOW TO APPLY 1. Visit the official City of Boston careers portal to locate the job posting. 2. Search for the position using Req ID 2026-31974 or the title Legal Advisor. 3. Click the apply button to submit your application, resume, and cover letter online. 4. For questions regarding the application process, contact Kristen Coveney at kristen.coveney@boston.gov. 5. Ensure your application is submitted before the posting end date of November 29, 2026. EMPLOYMENT DETAILS - Employer: City of Boston - Department: Law Department (Boston Public Schools) - Position Type: Regular Full-Time - Hours per week: 35 - Schedule: Hybrid - Union/Grade: Non-Union/MM2-15 - Posting End Date: November 29, 2026 - Equal Opportunity Employer: Yes