A Gen Zer Who Struggled With Her First 9-to-5 Shares Tips for Coping With Work
- Ciara Martin, 25, found her first few weeks of 9-to-5 life tiring.
- The Gen Zer shared some practical lessons she’s learned about maintaining her work-life balance.
- She said she goes on walks without her phone after work and asked her manager for flexible hours.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Ciara Martin, a 25-year-old from Surrey, England, about practical tips about how she adjusted to a 9-to-5 schedule since entering the full-time workforce in April 2022. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I think people see Gen Z as lazy and as snowflakes who are fragile. I don’t think that’s true.
I do think that people my age might struggle to go from studying at home for university to going to an office five days a week, which is a huge adjustment.
My first few weeks of full-time work were tiring. I worked 20 hours a week for a consultancy after graduating before getting my first full-time role in April 2022 working for a university.
I wasn’t used to an early morning commute. When I was a student, my university brought in online learning due to Covid. I could just roll out of bed at home at 8:30 a.m. and go on my laptop to get ready for my lecture. Now, I’ve got to be up, have breakfast, and drive to work to be there by 8:30 a.m.
It took me a while to get into a good sleep routine and to balance trying to get stuff done and seeing friends at the weekends, but I’ve since scheduled time for rest, exercise, and socializing.
Adjusting to your first job isn’t easy and that’s completely normal. Here is what I’ve learned about how to cope better and balance life and work while working a 9-to-5.
At weekends, I try to have one day of seeing people and one day at home
When I first started full-time work, my friends had also just got into full-time jobs, and some lived in other parts of the country after returning from university, so I found it really hard to see them.
I would try to see them at the weekend, but if I had a really busy one, I’d be so tired on Monday and throughout the week. It’s all well and good seeing your friends, but if you don’t have downtime, you will get burned out.
I now try to have one day where I’m seeing people and one day at home where I can do all my laundry and get my lunch ready for the following week.
If I know I have a busy weekend coming up, I’ll book Friday or Monday off so I’ve got time to recharge a bit. I love going to concerts, and I try to get the morning off after going to them.
I go to social events straight after work instead of going home first
I’ve learned that if I’ve got something in the diary after work, it’s better for me to go straight there, rather than go home first. I find if I come home from work, I feel a bit tired and might not be in the mood to go out again.
I’m used to coming home, putting on some sweatpants, walking the dog, and watching TV. If I’ve got to get ready to go out again, I’m just like, “I really can’t be bothered now.”
If you’re doing something midweek, I would definitely recommend going straight from work. You can always bring a change of clothes or shoes.
Asking for flexibility with hours made such a difference
At my current job, my contracted hours are 9 a.m. until 5.15 p.m, but I’d travel there early anyway to avoid traffic. I said to my manager, “I’m coming in early every day, so I’m technically working more hours than in my contract. Can I please finish half an hour earlier?”
She told me it would be absolutely fine to work the hours I wanted to as long as I didn’t leave work outstanding and was monitoring emails within a certain timeframe. The rest of my team was able to get flexible hours after I requested this as well, so I’m glad I brought it up.
I personally prefer to go to work early and come home early so I have more time in the evening.
If you can get flexible hours at work, it makes such a difference.
I go on a walk without my phone after work
I sit in the car on the way to work, sit at work for seven hours a day, then drive home again. If I don’t walk, I feel like I haven’t moved all day.
I’ve had a dog since I was 13, so I’ve always had the habit of walking him after school and now after work.
I never take my phone with me. It gives my eyes a break from screens after staring at them all day at work. I find it reduces anxiety and helps me sleep better as well.
After my walk, I check my phone and see what my friends have been saying in the group chats and watch TV with my mom, but as soon as I’m up in my bedroom, I put my phone away. I try to have a good 30 minutes to an hour of no screens before bed.
I find that if I’ve been looking at my phone just before bed, my brain feels really awake, but if I’ve been off my screen half an hour beforehand, I fall asleep much quicker.
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