Going Home at 5:30
A few weeks ago I went to an SCL event for a panel with Michael Giacchino and his music team. It was a great evening overall, and I took away many insights and ideas to think about. One of the things that really stood out to me, because it aligns with my own philosophy, was when Giacchino said "My work day ends at 5:30pm, and then I go play with my kids." I wanted to applaud him, because sadly in this industry that is an incredibly rare thing.Part of the reason it stood out to me was because that very morning my wife and I were discussing the very same concept. Is it possible to get ahead in this business without putting in 100 hours a week? Won't there always be some other guy out there working one more hour than you? But if an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy (etc. etc.) winning composer is able to work a normal workday, perhaps a balanced life is not just a dream but an attainable reality.We've all heard Parkinson's Law before:
"Work expands so as to fill the time available for it's completion."
If your day has to end at 5:30 and you have a cue due, you're going to get it done. You would be amazed at how much time can be fritted away both when composing and with day to day tasks. Composing is about making decisions (more on that in a future post), and if the deadline is approaching you're going to be more focused and trust your instincts to make good decisions for you.At a previous job I had, the number of hours you worked was like a badge of honor. "Oh really you only worked 80 hours this week? Well I worked 86!" But the negative aspects of that lifestyle were tremendous. People were sleeping on the couches at the studio, never eating a proper meal, exhausted with dirty laundry to do and a girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse that they hadn't had time for a real conversation with in weeks. "Just paying our dues" was the mantra, but is that really how it has to be done? Personally, I don't think it is. And Giacchino's prolific and inspiring output confirms that.Life is more important than work. But ironically the more you enjoy and take care of your actual life (family, social, etc.), the better your work is going to be! You'll be rested and refreshed, you'll have high energy and focus, and overall you'll be making a better contribution. 100 hours of labor may feel like "work" but the mistakes start adding up and the music becomes meaningless noise.Do yourself a favor and set limits to your work day. Both your family and your work will be better off because of it.