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It's time to figure out what it means to you, and stop treating it like a myth.
Work life balance is a popular buzz phrase that needs to be demystified. With the Great Resignation still on our doorsteps, what should you really expect in terms of balance in your life?
Is having balance achievable?
I'm going to go with a firm yes.
The issue here is we look to social media and Netflix (et al) for what it should look like, and that is simply not real life!
If you want to achieve work life balance, you first have to figure out what that would look like in your life.
Let's break it down.
You have a different life and priorities than I do. So in order to figure out balance, you have to decide where your values and priorities sit.
You don't find balance in your life, you create it.
Let's take this step by step.
Grab a piece of paper and list out all of the areas (categories) of your life, that are of significance to you, down the centre of the paper.
Next, based on this moment in time, number each area in order of priority on the left side of each category.
And now, on the right side of each category, write down what percentage of energy you currently give that area of your life each week.
It might look something like this.
2 | Relationships | 10% |
6 | Finances | 5% |
3 | Purpose / Achievements | 5% |
1 | Physical health | 20% |
4 | Community | 5% |
7 | Career | 50% |
5 | Spirituality | 2% |
8 | Environment | 3% |
Drumroll.... if your priorities (left side) and actions (right side) are not matching up, then this is where the lack of balance is coming from.
So what now?
Now that you can see where the imbalance in your life is, you can do something about it!
In the example above, you can see that career is getting a lot more energy than it is a priority.
You might be thinking, but I can't leave my job, so how am I supposed to create more balance?
The fact is that we all have responsibilities that might not be completely aligned with our priorities. You can still create balance!
Your situation is unique to you, but some examples of questions to ask yourself might be:
Could I give less energy to this area of my life and still fulfill my responsibilities?
ie: you might not be able to work less hours, but are you spending time outside of work hours worrying and could you eliminate that?
Could I increase the energy I give to another area of my life that would have a positive impact on this area?
ie: focusing on your purpose in life and finding a way to weave that into your career.
Is there a way to combine an area of my life that is a bigger priority with this area?
ie: could you create a social group at work to give a sense of community, that is a higher priority for you.
The key to creating balance in your life is to ensure your priorities and actions are aligned with each other.
Remember this is a sliding scale and some weeks might look different than others, but if you can achieve an overall feeling of homeostasis, then you my dear, have cracked the code!
What's your top priority this week (and how much energy are you going to give it)?