Off Balance - Matthew Kelly(???)

Book 55

A couple of fantastic takeaways in a relatively repetitive book. This is one of those books that could and probably should have been a rockstar blog post. Matthew starts off by challenging the whole concept of “work life balance”. He believes that a balance is not what people seek. Nobody ever told their boss they want more work because the don’t feel things are balanced. What people are looking for is satisfaction; both personally and professionally. Once we figure out what matters to us and make the right set of choices that always optimize for our priorities, we will always be satisfied and happy. Balance is a myth and is not what anybody is actually striving for; at different points in our lives and careers, we seek different goals. What we need is to build a system that drives our satisfaction and adapts and grows along with us.

Matthew also talks about why it is so important to have a team where people’s personal lives are happy and sorted. No matter how much we pretend to try to keep them isolated, our personal and professional lives are intertwined. A person who is happy and stress free at home will bring that energy and productivity to work. Similarly, a person who is satisfied and feels accomplished at work will take that positivity home. People who make poor life choices in their personal lives also tend to do so in their professional lives. Matthew argues how political correctness has been detrimental to uncovering these data points during an interview process.

Overall the book is a little scattered with a few good takeaways and a lot of noise and fillers like extremely long assessments and tips. The core message however is worth understanding and embracing.

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