You’ll Never Achieve Work Life Balance and Why That’s Awesome News!
What is work life balance?
Seem likely? I didn’t think so.
Work Life Balance also created the rise of “the fun office”, where video games, ping pong, daycare, and napping areas were as common as boardrooms, cubicles and cafeterias. Do you remember when every new graduate wanted to work in places like these, which forced many companies to adopt those work styles too? The problem wasn’t that these new spaces existed, it’s that these new areas were created by coeporations to keep people happy AT WORK.
I don’t know about you, but spending all of my time at work is NOT my idea of a great life.
Stop Looking for balance!
Why can I say that? Everything in our lives flows between seasons of importance and seasons of less significance.
Consider these examples: Sports, Taxes, Tourism, Weather, Holidays.
What do they all have in common? They exist based on seasons: times when they’re highly important, and times when they can almost be forgotten. Almost nobody is watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs in August, heading to the ski slopes in July, or filing their personal taxes in October.
Creating a consistent balance between all of these things (and the other thousand things on our lists) is not only impossible, it’s hugely stressful!
What’s the solution?
It’s time to embrace how amazing a work life imbalance can be!
There are times when certain areas of our lives require extreme focus, which causes other areas to be neglected, and that’s okay. Now this does have a caveate … it’s only okay temporarily, and with the love and support of those closest to you.
Here’s an example: As Freedom Seekers we may decide that we want to create a new mini-course for our community. Creating a course is no small feat, and takes a lot of hard work and focus that can last from 3 weeks and 3 months. During this time we may need to miss a piano recital, have to delegate a conference call, or miss a monthly lunch outing. If we have support from those we are affecting, it’s easier and faster to complete our new course. But without their support we’ll be weighed down with guilt, and that’s never a good thing.
It’s not all about work either!
If we know in advance when those piano recitals are, or what nights we have family dinners, they’re easy to schedule around.
Finding Your Work Life Imbalance
Can be done in a couple simple steps:
1. list the “can’t miss” activities in your life – different for everyone
2. look for the “seasons” in your schedules – can you group busy family times, kid activity times, work times?
3. create a new season schedule for your business that flows with the other seasons – don’t be afraid to overlap (eg miss 1 or 2 family dinners in March, but make sure to be available for Easter)
4. Communicate your seasons with those closest to you and work with them to perfect it – be open to being called out for not sticking to the schedules (both ways)
Things will always come up, but this will give you a great start.
Was this helpful for you? If so, please share it with a friend who you think would get value!
Be sure to comment below and let me know how you’re going to imbalance your work-life!
P.S. If you’d LOVE to start Your Own Blog with “Just 3 Clicks”, check THIS out!
Was this valuable for you? If so I’d really appreciate your comments below and shares on social media.
Resources
Here is a list of the resources mentioned in this post:
Freedom Seeker’s Passport – Download my FREE step-by-step workbook to finally ditch your desk and see the world!
Blogger’s Jumpstart Guide – Download my FREE guide outlining how to successfully start your own blog
It’s always nice to hear different perspectives from others. Thanks for sharing. – Jojo Reyes Jr
Thanks for dropping by Jojo!
I learned long ago that everything ebbs and flows. If my personal life is great my professional life is less than and vice versa.
So true Rebecca! And no reason to try to fight the flow
I love the idea of recognizing and creating a work “season.” I often tell people “This is a busy season of life for me,” but I’ve never thought about it in relation to my jobs, or thought about how to plan for it. Thanks!
You’re so welcome Catherine! Realizing you’re in a season really helps deal with external pressures while you focus
I agree it isn’t achievable. It’s what’s going on at the time and what needs the most attention.
Such a great summary Valerie!
Well, I have my best work life balance. I work 24/7 but in the same time I never work.
Living the dream Mila!!
Thanks for sharing. It’s interesting to see different perspectives. I agree that certain things at certain times need more attention than others.
So glad you enjoyed this post Mai!
Great perspective about Work life balance actually I do working balance I work on the office and the I do blogging on the same day but I admit that I have some change of plans because there’s other things I could finish on time.
Always those emergencies that come out of nowhere that need to be dealt with 🙂
Great post here! Work-life balance is an important aspect of a healthy work environment. Maintaining work-life balance helps reduce stress and helps prevent burnout in the workplace. Chronic stress is one of the most common health issues in the workplace.
Absolutely, finding what your balance is will be critical to sustained success in our lives.