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`Find time for life'

Work has moved from being something you do for a living to living itself, says Julian Fernando

Life for a corporate executive like myself is market shares, power point presentations, black coffee, SWOT analysis, market trend analysis, macro/micro environmental conditions, more black coffee, pulse of the market, consumer behaviour trends, competition appraisals, retention ... burp!!! Sorry! More black coffee, daily reports.

My last QFT (quality family time, in corporate parlance) was at a department store. Every time my wife decided to buy something, guess what I did? A competition analysis on the products, price matrices, packaging trends, point of sale communication, consumer consumption patterns ... I doubt if she will take me to the store next time.

My children and I got into a discussion what their friends' daddys do. And my daughter said, "Charanya's daddy is a policeman and I want you to be a policeman". Instead of a simple, "I am trained to be xyz", I got started into a SWOT analysis of being a policeman, cost benefit analysis, environmental conditions that affect his career, career growth chart, mid-career shifts, corporate ladder climbing, etc. The poor angel fell asleep in my arms.

Our friendly neighbours avoid getting into any sort of discussion when I'm around... wonder why?

Work has moved from being something you do for a living to living itself. Attempts at quality family time are stopping little short of a joke. But this New Year I have resolved to try and find time for life. To wake up and smell the coffee.

SOUND OFF! is a weekly space for you to rant, applaud or talk about anything on your mind. Write to metro@thehindu.co.in telling us a little about yourself (with address and phone number), and you may get a chance to sound off!

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