Apparently, today is National Leave Work Early Day—a holiday built around the delightful idea of closing the laptop, clocking out, and reclaiming a little life outside of work. And while I appreciate the sentiment, a conversation with my son yesterday made me wonder if we’re asking the wrong question entirely.
He’s in the middle of transferring colleges and trying to chart a new path. After two-and-a-half years at one school, he recently realized that changing direction likely means another three years of college. Understandably, that news discouraged him.
Three years feels like forever when you’re young.
So I asked him something simple: “What do you picture your days looking like five years from now?”
Not the job title. Not the paycheck. The actual days. What time do you wake up? Are you indoors or outdoors? Working with people or ideas? Creating something? Solving problems? Traveling? Leading? Building?
Because eventually, our lives become our days.
I also reminded him of something we all forget when the timeline feels long: he’ll be three years older regardless. He can be three years older with a career path that excites him—or three years older still wondering what could have been.
That conversation made me rethink National Leave Work Early Day.
Maybe leaving work early matters if you’re not happy with what you do.
That said, rest matters. Boundaries matter. Mental health absolutely matters. A good work/life balance IS important!
But if you genuinely love your work—or at least find purpose in it—the line between “work hours” and “life” begins to blur in a healthy way. And if your job simply pays the bills, then perhaps your passion lives tantalizingly outside of those hours.
Either way, the goal isn’t just to leave work early; the goal is to build a life you don’t constantly feel the need to escape.