I don't believe in the work-life balance. Here's why!

Ever since employee's well being became a hot topic, this new term - work-life balance, started appearing absolutely everywhere. It was used by employees to emphasize they don't want to work overtime and on the weekends, and have more life in their, you know, life. It was listed as a benefit my some companies, putting 'healthy work-life balance' in their job ads, as if it signifies a universally accepted truth everyone would immediately understand.

I've been in HR my entire career. I have hired and fired, coached and mentored. I have worked in corporations and startups, local and international, and I have had up to 3 roles at the same time. I fundamentally disagree with the concept of work-life balance, and here's why.

#1 - It pits work as equally important as life, and everything in it! What a ridiculous nonsense!

When you consider that for a second, you realize now utterly ridiculous it is. On one side we have work, and on other we have life and everything in it! So, that would be sleep, health, nutrition, exercise, social life, hobbies, chores, entertainment, parenthood, taking care of our loved ones, paying the bills, getting our nails done and you know, going out to vote. All of it, the mountain of it on one side, and on another, oh well, that's just work. Doesn't really seem like a good balance of scales to me.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for balance. But work vrs life isn't a balance that I am interested in. It's not as simple as not working during weekends, or not allowing employers to contact you after hours. Balance means a holistic approach on everything that forms part of the entirety of our experience, whether that is an exciting job in a pre-IPO startup, trying out for baby #2 or simply trying to get a grip on your financials during a recession. If you are worried about your family member's health you can trust me you won't be that efficient at work. If your work is causing severe stress, then you are gonna stop mid-work out and draft an email to your boss. Not a shred of balance anywhere in sight.

Balance is holistic, not one sided. All parts of who we are need to be present, working in harmony with one another, occasionally taking priority or fading in the background for a short amount of time, and then rising back to the top. This is why balance for me is good organization, stemming from making choices aligned with your values, and using all the resources available to you to make it work - your MIL or your favorite colleague, an app that helps you take care of plants, or your husband's underused ability to make a decent lunch.

Work isn't pitted against our life, work is simply one part of it.

#2 - 8-8-8 isn't really gonna cut it anymore!

I am sure you heard about the principle, that came out of the industrial revolution, that one should work for 8 hours, sleep for 8 hours and have 8 hours in the day for personal/social activities.

I would really love to meet a person that can actually have this balance. And if I met them I would ask them, do those eight hours of activities somehow include all the chores one has to do, all the hobbies, all the caring of older parents and younger children, all the commute, all the waiting in line at the supermarket, all the time it takes to get to and from the park or the restaurant, all the gift giving and binge watching, the latest insanely great Abercrobie's epic fantasy series, does all of this, somehow, magically fit into those dedicated eight hours per day?

Spoiler alert - it does not! :D

That is what work-life balance should represent. After eight hours of work, you get eight hours of rest. And what you don't get to do during the workweek, you can rush to complete on the weekend. How could we possibly call this a balance? Burnout is epidemic at this point, and hardly anyone can be surprised by it.

I am not proposing we work less or sleep less so that we can travel more, as if a simple math equation would fix it all. In all honesty, 9 to 5 40h work week means you actually work for about 30, and the rest is unproductive time anyways (breaks, lunches, watercooler chit chat, useless meetings etc). So, why should we all have to work and live the same, as if fitting us all in one mould would help us get any type of balance at all?

We don't need to work necessarily more or less than we do, what I am proposing is that we customise the approach and strive for maximum efficiency.

#3 - To each their own! And unlock the potential...

Do you know what makes me really pay attention during meetings? When I am allowed to do something else in addition to listening. Cook lunch, fold laundry, iron, or just color in my adult coloring book. Why? Because that's how my brain works. If I am 'forced' to just listen my mind will wonder, and it will be a struggle to retain anything. I also work really efficiently in the mornings, and need to take a step back early afternoon to recharge and refocus.

I want to be more efficient and productive, both at work and in my other obligations, BUT I don't want that to mean more time. I don't want to fight over which hour in the day will belong to which activity. And I don't anymore.

I have a system. That is my balance. I know when I do things and how, I know what are my deadlines and obligations, I know that exercise makes me facilitate better, because my brain and in my body work in unison, so why would I think my personal and professional life don't?

I scroll social media to learn more about things I apply at work, I educate myself about parenthood and that makes me a better colleague, I listen to YT videos about learning while I do my make up.

Did you know I am more productive when I dress up in the mornings? I do, and now I use that to my advantage.

Work-life balance doesn't lie in the hands of almighty employers and their policies and regulations. The balance lies in us - how well do we know ourselves and what works for us, how well do we advocate for what we need, how invested we are in improving ourselves, so no one will ever have to track the hours, too busy being impressed with the output.

It's a myth, this whole work-life balance thing, and it should stay a myth. What we should strive for serves a much greater purpose. And it starts with us.