Four Ways to Flex Your Work
By Sharon Teitelbaum, MA, MCC, Sharon@stcoach.com

Thirdpath Institute (http://www.thirdpath.org/), under the direction of Jessica DeGroot and Hanne Weedon, is a thought-leader and groundbreaker in the work-life field because it works at two levels concurrently. First, it develops concrete tools for thinking about and implementing work re-design. Second, into this highly structured and analytic approach, it includes a second methodology which allows people to tap into the emotional and highly personal level of these kinds of changes. A parent of young children might apply Thirdpath’s “Four Ways to Flex Your Work” and consider working a four-day week. And using emotional tools, this parent might get in touch with how terrified she is of being “mommy-tracked” by her managing partners and peers.

ThirdPath has come up with a beautifully structured approach to work re-design. They offer "Six Steps for Integrating Work and Life" and "Four Ways to Flex Your Work” and other tools at their website. Here are the "Four Ways to Flex Your Work":

1. Schedule. This pertains to the degree to which your work actually needs to be done during a particular time of day. Many professionals find that large chunks of their work – research, writing, analysis, thinking, planning, etc. – can be done during non-traditional work hours, such as very early mornings, 9 p.m. to midnight, weekends, holidays.

2. Physical Presence. This pertains to whether your work requires you to be in a particular place. If you are an emergency room doctor, you need to be in the emergency room for your clinical hours. But your non-clinical hours, such as planning the monthly meeting, or writing up your research, may be put in from home.

3. Workflow. This is about how much control you have over the volume and the pace of your work. The lawyer who works 80% time in a firm where the full time annual standard is 2000 billable hours knows she needs 1600 billable hours. But who decides which cases she takes on – can she say no when her plate is full? One part time attorney for a commission told of one hellish year when she had put in all 60% of her hours by the end of June. She took the rest of the year off.

4. Substitution. To what extent can someone else do your work? Are there peers who can take over for you, and/or are there subordinates who can pick up some of your lower-level tasks? Could you job-share with someone?

Are you stumped about how you could possibly re-design your job? Are you convinced it could never happen at your place of work? If you are going around and around, thinking about work re-design but never taking any action, you owe it to yourself to get some assistance. Most people cannot think their way through these challenges on their own. I have helped many high achievers get un-stuck and implement some real changes that result in more satisfying arrangements. Get off the hamster wheel!

If you're considering hiring a coach to help you with challenges like these, contact me at sharon@stcoach.com for an initial consultation at no charge.

Copyright 2004-2008, Sharon Teitelbaum.

Permission to reprint this article is granted, as long as the article is printed in its entirety and the copyright and information below is included.

Master Certified Coach Sharon Teitelbaum, http://www.stcoach.com, works with high achievers, people at mid-career, and professionals seeking greater career satisfaction and work-life balance. She coaches by phone and in person in Boston. Her newsletter, Strategies For Change, offers practical tips for work-life success.

"Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: Restoring Work-Life Balance," Sharon's first book, was published in 2005.

A motivational speaker, Sharon also also delivers keynotes & trainings on work-life issues. Clients include Children’s Hospital Boston, SunLife Financial, Arnold Worldwide, and many parent and alumni groups. She's been featured in national publications including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and Working Mother Magazine.

Married for 30 years, she is the mother of two amazing young women.