Not many professions compare with journalism in terms of being intensive and requiring so much time to the detriment of other important aspects of one’s life.
Meeting deadlines, not missing stories, generating story ideas, editing copies, getting exclusives and many other tasks require so much time that you are constantly thinking about work, on and off duty, as if your life depends on it.
Former Editor of defunct News of The World, Stafford Somerfield in his book, Banner Headlines, captures the sacrifice involved in being a journalist.
”My advice to youngsters seeking jobs in Fleet Street never varied. Don’t become a journalist unless you feel that you must and that nothing else will do,” Sommerfield wrote.
“Even then think twice. To reach the top you must be dedicated; your work must come before home, family and everything else.”
While Somerfield’s advice may be true to a large extent, Jeff Coriley, a world-renowned life coach warns that a work culture that demands a constant sacrifice of time away from family is toxic to the long-term success of both the enterprise and the individual.
“Hard work is a virtue, but constant overwork is a liability. Constant intensity starves the spirit and cancels the creativity and passion that led you to your profession,” Coriley counsels.
Our work as journalists, no doubt demands lots of sacrifices but we need to go about it in a way that we do not totally neglect our other obligations.
We must strive hard to balance our family, professional, social and spiritual lives.
It will require discipline, commitment, planning, better time management and change in the way we work.
You should not take it for granted that your families, friends and associates would understand why you don’t have enough time for them.
You should constantly explain why you have to work as hard as you do and make up for your absence whenever your schedule permits.
It’s hard I must confess. I have been a journalist for more than twenty-five years and I am still struggling hard to get the right balance of how to be a good journalist, father, husband, son, brother, uncle, friend, colleague and much more.
Our work is important, but the totality of our life should not only be about work.
Please share with me and other readers how you are balancing your career and family matters.
Photo: Lekan, Ronke and children
NB: I appreciate all who have been reading, sharing, liking and responding to the previous editions of this dairy.
Thanks for your feedback and let me get more to enrich this series.
Lekan Otufodunrin
Email: info@mediacareerng.org /Telephone: 08023000621 /Twitter: @lotufodunrin /Skype: lekanskype
