Work-Life Balance is Bull&@($
Forget work-life balance. Work-life integration is the new “thing.”?
I recently came across an?article from Inc.?that made this announcement. The premise of the article attracted me right away: it pointed out the most irreconcilable flaw in the idea of a work-life balance.?
Professional vs. Personal? What’s Wrong with a Work-Life “Balance”
According to Inc., the concept of a work-life balance basically communicates the idea that you can keep your personal and professional lives separate.?
Naturally, this sets you up for failure. Your personal life and work-life are not two opposing forces that can be “balanced” by intense scheduling and organization efforts. As the article says, “They are two parts of a whole. Your business is the subset of your life.”?
A work-life balance rejects the harmony required to really get the most joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction from your personal experience.?
Instead of the outdated work-life balance idea, a fluid work-life integration that allows you to prioritize and respond accordingly helps you succeed even throughout life’s ups and downs.?
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This system creates a synergy between all of the aspects of your life, helping you build a mindset that can blend your personal and professional lives into one consolidated whole.?
Compared to the work-life balance that positions your personal life and professional life as opposing forces, the work-life integration idea can help you respond to the various areas of your life to the best of your ability.?
Your Personal Life and Professional Life Come Together as Your Life?
Both your personal life and your professional life merge — whether you like it or not. Together, they create the full experience of your life.?
Think about it, when you move through your daily schedule, are you really able to separate and isolate your experiences? Stressors from one area of your life will leak into the others. Excitement, whether it’s related to business or personal matters, will enliven you while you’re at home and at the office (or at the home office).?
In my opinion, a work-life balance is bulls#(%. The whole “balance” thing — what does that even mean??
The way I look at life, the thing you’re focused on is the thing you’re focused on. Whether it’s work or personal matters, it could take up 100% of your concentration, or 80%, or 60%... So what is balance??
VP of Development at URBN (Lifestyle and community building for residential and commercial real estate)
3 年I have always been trying to find the " balance" but rarely did, so maybe integration is the answer, thank you!
CEO Lawns By Yorkshire, Inc
3 年Just my two cents - your smart phone is the common connection. In December 2019 I spent three days in Antarctica. Unless you carry a satellite phone (which I elected not to) you have nothing to focus on but what you can see touch or feel at any given moment. It was a great feeling to be without a smartphone for three days and appreciate the basics.
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3 年I used to also think that there was something wrong with "work-life balance" because like mentioned, some factors on one side will leak on the other. The concept of "Work-Life Integration" is a more accurate way of looking at it. Thank you so much for the amazing read! It was very well put!