The 35-year-old works four hours a day but earns the same as a full-time

A woman who used to work 12 hours a day in an office has revealed that she now only works a few hours a day for the same salary. Alex Coward, 35, was previously at the helm of a team of almost a hundred people at a recruitment agency in London before she hit burnout four years ago and decided to go it alone.

Alex, a business consultant from Paisley, has thoroughly enjoyed her career but admits the grueling hours delayed her endometriosis diagnosis. Alex said: “I was passionate about my job. But working long hours meant I was late getting diagnosed with endometriosis as I never took the time to go to my GP and discuss my symptoms.”

Endometriosis is a persistent condition in which tissue resembling the lining of the uterus proliferates in other areas, including the ovaries and fallopian tubes, which can affect any female – regardless of age.

The symptoms of endometriosis can vary widely; the NHS list includes common complaints such as lower abdominal or back pain that worsens during menstruation, menstrual pain so debilitating that it prevents daily activities, discomfort during or after intercourse, problems urinating or defecating during menstruation, including pain , nausea, constipation, diarrhea, blood in the urine or stools, and even fertility problems.

Alex needed a year to recover from the burnout before starting his own consultancy. She found unhelpful the advice of productivity gurus who suggested that success could only be achieved through long hours and weekend work.

Instead, Alex, who describes himself as a “master procrastinator,” decided to focus on working more efficiently. She explained: “Throughout school, I was a daydreamer and a procrastinator; i was so late on all my essays. Then I realized that instead of procrastinating, I could just not work on purpose.”

“By procrastinating, I’ve trained myself to be super efficient at my work and the ability to do my shit. Procrastination gets a bad rap, but it shows us that we can accomplish so much in such a short amount of time. We as a society have made ourselves less efficient and less productive by continually working longer and longer hours.”

Alex now works around four hours a day and claims he is achieving “more than ever”. She added: “My business continues to grow year on year and I help others learn how to take time out of their business so they can start living their lives again.”

These days, Alex’s alarm goes off at 8 a.m., allowing him to start his day slowly. Work for a few hours, take a long walk, then work a few more hours before calling it a day. She often takes mornings off to see friends or practice yoga and says she is much happier.

Alex, owner of ARC Virtual Solutions Ltd, added: “Now I feel satisfied and at peace. I have the freedom to spend time with my husband, I take long weekends to hike around Scotland and I can focus on and prioritize my physical and mental health. health – all of these are far greater successes than what I see in my bank account, even though I make more money now than when I was employed.”