Here’s why we need to stop talking about work/life balance.
Work/life balance is a myth.
Work is part of life, not separate from it.
Balance is like a see-saw. Two things pitted at either end of the scales.
Speaking of work/life balance is like speaking about the cheese/pizza balance. It makes no sense.
The cheese is part of the pizza.
If we want to talk about balance in a pizza, we can talk about cheese/sauce balance, or cheese/crust balance, or sauce/crust balance. But we don’t talk about cheese/pizza balance.
Work/life issues are about proportion to the whole, not balance.
Life encompasses work and, ideally, other elements, like play, and relationships and doing nothing.
Work is merely one part of life. For many of us, especially in creative fields, the line starts to blur because life is also part of work. An experience “off the clock” can inspire a new blog post or marketing idea. This can make it difficult to turn off work completely, even if you’re not actively “working.” Let’s leave technology out of this for now.
Instead of striving to find work/life balance, aim for better integration of work into life.
Balance the work with constructive rest, deep play and relationship-building.
Carve out space for the activities that allow you to get lost in the moment of what you’re doing. Allow yourself to be fully present to your experience and the people around you.
Create this space for yourself, and you’ll find that you will begin to bring your best work to the world.
Want to learn more about how to integrate your work into your life in a more sustainable way? I help busy entrepreneurs build sustainable daily practices that create space for their best work and a more fulfilled life. To learn more, register here, and I’ll be in touch to schedule a personal consultation with you.