Creating Work-Life Harmony

For decades I have heard the phrase work-life balance. This has been a struggle for many to balance their work and life. In fact, I would suggest balance is an impossible goal. Having this unachievable goal will create stress for you.

Think about what balance means: an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright or steady. Can you actually distribute work and life evenly?

The goal of work life balance does not meet the “R” in SMART goals, Realistic. Trying to balance work and life is unrealistic. Years ago, as the host of Build Your Success Podcast I was introduced to the concept of Work Life Harmony. I have adopted this concept and reduced the stress associated with trying to create a balance between work and life. Work and life are not competing, they are congruent.

What is Work-Life Harmony?

The old French origin of the word harmony come from the word harmonia “joining, concord” and from the Greek word harmos “joint.” I think for the point I am trying to make in this article concord is a great word to help understand the goal of work-life harmony.

Creating work life harmony means thinking deeper about your work and life choices. Does your career, employer, or (for entrepreneurs) business support your life? You should be intentional in designing a life with a career which supports your goals and lifestyle. The wages you earn, and the benefits of your employment are what you are depending upon to create a better life for you and your loved ones. Your occupation should be a way to support your family both financially and physically.

What work-life harmony has allowed me to do is be aware that moments matter, when I am at work my focus should be on being productive and creating value for my employer or clients. When I am with family the focus should be on being present and enjoying my time with them, creating memorable moments. This means putting my phone down and listening to my family members. The emails, phone calls and anything work-related can be put on pause while I am present with those I love. The time does not have to be evenly distributed, but giving the best of myself to my life and those who depend upon me.

Catalyst for Change

Many years ago, while on a family vacation I spent most of the vacation answering phone calls and responding to emails. My wife chided me “I don’t know why we come on vacation when all you do is work!” My defensive and erroneous response was “This phone pays for vacation!” Dumb mistake. We were both upset and as you know when you are upset the best thing to do is reflect on what made you upset. In this case I had to admit my wife was correct, this was not the way to enjoy a family vacation.

In my egotistical opinion of myself I had determined that my team and clients could not function without my involvement. I decided to change, going forward I would enjoy the time with my family without self-inflicted interruptions. I could design my life to allow for a much-needed break to refresh myself and make my family the number one priority. I had to make plans for my absence and?create boundaries for myself, my clients, and my team members. Guess what? My team and my clients did just fine without my involvement and even benefited from a rested and refreshed Brian.

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Questions to Ponder:

Have you created work-life harmony for yourself?

How does your occupation support your life goals?

Do you consider work-life harmony for your team members?

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