Taking on too much?

I'm a busy person.  I'm passionate about climate change and social change and I volunteer a great deal of my time to either stopping or achieving these.  But at what point does it become unhealthy to be so absorbed in your work?  For those of us who work in the third sector, particularly those who work on 'big' issues like campaigning against climate change - there's an infinite amount of work to be done, and infinite opportunities to get involved and make a difference.  I'm not sure I've found the right work/life balance yet.

I work full-time for an environmental campaigning organisation, and over the last 3 years we've run the biggest campaign in our history (The Big Ask) which has taken huge personal sacrifices on the part of staff and volunteers working to achieve its goals.  And we have - this September or October the UK government will become the first in the world to introduce a legally binding framework for carbon dioxide reductions.  We did that and its incredibly rewarding to know that - but the campaign has had its casualities.  I wonder, is it a coincidence that the 6 or 7 people who have resigned or gone on sabbatical this year were those most involved in the planning and detail of the campaign? No.

My own job doesn't really fit into the 9-5 working day either.  My role involves supporting and training our network of local group activists - and I cover a geographic region which represents about 30% of England.  Our local groups are made up of volunteers so they naturally meet and do their campaigning work in the evenings and at weekends - and that's when I go out to meet them which means a lot of travelling on crappy public transport, a lot of late nights and a lot of weekends where I don't get to do my own thing. That said,  it's nearly always a pleasure to get out there and meet the people who are making a difference in their own communities and setting a good example to others.  

For example, a couple of weeks ago I went to the Peak District where a small group called High Peak Friends of the Earth have worked hard to build the first community-owned new hydropower scheme in the UK for centuries.  Using ancient technology innovatively (the Archimedian screw) they are making use of the abundant renewable energy resources in their area (lots of rivers and streams) by introducing positive solutions and getting the whole community around them involved in the process.  Their small hydro-scheme will generate enough power for 1000s of homes in their town, and the idea is now spreading throughout the area and through our local groups network.  It's truly inspiring to go and meet a group of people like this and help them to hone their campaigning skills and ability to work together as a group (although sometimes it feels like I'm trying to teach my own grandmother to suck eggs).   At times like these, it also doesn't seem much of a hardship to have to work late into the night, or spend the night away from home because its too late to travel back (indeed, I got to spend the night in a cute B&B in the Peak District and go for a walk down to the hydro project in the morning before catching a train back to the office). For these volunteers, there was never any question of committing too much time to the project - they had a vision and they saw it through, whatever it took.  That can be hugely satisfying, if you make time to take stock and celebrate your achievements. 

But I've also found myself committing to a number of other responsibilities and getting involved in lots of new projects recently.   In one weekend last June I managed to join the Steering Group of a European youth environmental activist network (Young Friends of the Earth Europe) and when I got back to Birmingham from Vienna I realised I'd also been elected as a member of the Management Committee for Birmingham Friends of the Earth. Whoops, slight oversight on my part as I'd forgotten that I'd volunteered right before I went away to Vienna for the weekend, but having been given the responsibility that comes with both these posts, I now have to live up to it.   

And now, just this week I've been in discussions with a couple of friends about buying and taking on a failing small business - am I crazy? [maybe the old mantra of crazy, lazy, hazy still rings true?].  The One Earth Shop is a small vegan wholefoods store based in the Warehouse building where I work.   The owners, who have run the shop for over 18 years have had enough, and for my part I don't want to see yet another small independent wholefoods shop go down the drain.  I also see lots of potential in it and my two friends have heaps of experience between them in running this kind of business.  I'm really excited by this project, but I'm also starting to realise that I barely have any time to myself as it is and that this could be a hugely time-consuming (not to mention money-draining) enterprise.  

Who knows if it will go ahead, but for now I think I need to keep one eye firmly on my work-life balance.  I don't want to wear myself out - there are too many important things that need doing and I want to be able to continue to contribute as effectively as I can.   I often provide my local groups with advice about not 'spreading yourself too thin' and I think it's time I took my own advice.  I make a pledge to myself today: no more new projects this year!