Breaking the work-life balance myth

Work-life balance was a concept I grew up with.

The idea, that there was an optimum split between your time working and time spent on your 'life' (often touted as '50-50'), resonates with almost every adult who has had to tread the line between freedom and responsibility.

The lines became increasingly blurred during the Covid-19 pandemic - with more people now working and living in exactly the same environment, a variety of methods were adopted to preserve the division between home and life - dedicated workspaces, dedicated work hours and fake 'commutes' each day to transition between one mindset and the next.

Still, separating the two became increasingly difficult.

Did the pandemic break the work-life balance theory?

I would say it was broken to begin with.

The issue is how everything is simplified into two camps.

Work/Life.

Somehow, we expect half of our waking life to be dedicated to one, half to the mutually-exclusive other.

But then what happens when we break down these concepts... What is ‘work’ and what is ‘life’, and what is the balance we seek between the two?

'Work', for example, could be the pursuit of financial freedom, personal growth or making an impact.

'Life' could be the pursuit of social status, meaningful relationships, family.

But actually, if we think about it, all six of the areas mentioned above could belong in either work, life or sometimes both. Hobbies that turn into income-generating side hustles. A fun, sociable work place. Working with your wife (!)

The lines were already blurred long before Covid came along.

So instead of striving for that perfect work-life balance, think about the balance we need between all the things that are important for us to spend out time on. Does it matter if it comes from 'life' or 'work'? They create an easy dividing line, which for years was physically reinforced by having two distinct 'phases' of your day. But I think if we keep it that simple, we'll struggle to get that elusive balance.

So if it’s not as simple as balancing ‘work’ with ‘life’, what are the things we need to balance?

Well, it depends on what’s important to you. You might already know, and can reel off 6 to 8 areas of your life you need or want to spend time on. Or maybe you need to really think about what is important to you (go out for a walk for some time to reflect!) Sometimes it can be a feeling - what are you really craving for right now, what do you really need to do, but haven’t allowed yourself to do.

Sometimes it’s specific, like ‘family time’, or ‘personal development’ other times it is more ambiguous, like ‘making an impact’.

It’s different for everyone. But once you learn what these areas are, you can start to find some real balance.