Work/Life Balance; The Bastardization of Work Ethic

The notion of work/life balance, without a proper narrative, is really doing some serious damage to the growth mindset. While the concept has been around for decades, its current manifestation seems to pose a question more focused on exceeding the conventional 40-hour workweek. If 40 hours serve as a young professional’s threshold, the choice will define their career trajectories. I'll go one step further, though, and push the notion that the more we do, the more the effort takes on its own reinforcing value. While I have always believed this to be true, the theory has a name: "learned industriousness." It’s that sweet, sweet injection of dopamine we feel when we push hard and feel accomplished because of it.

Why is it, then, that we are talking endlessly about work/life balance but not about the intrinsic rewards we receive when we are feeling empowered by our efforts? This topic came up at a board meeting when someone mentioned that they have new grads inquiring about work/life balance at their firm. It is also now becoming the fastest way to not get hired. Who started this narrative, and why is it still lingering? Well, I don’t think COVID helped, and the boom of the high-tech market probably reinforced it... and maybe misguided parenting too.

I do appreciate working parents bridging the gap between the dichotomy of career aspirations and familial responsibilities. Drawing from personal experience as a single mother who successfully navigated a career path evolving into entrepreneurship, it is imperative to dispel the notion that family commitments and professional growth are mutually exclusive. Opting for quality over quantity, I weathered judgment, encountered stressful days, yet emerged triumphant, fostering a work ethic that resonates with pride in both myself and my daughter.

Work/life balance isn’t about doing the bare minimum at boundary setting when "working for the man." Balance is when you take personal responsibility for being supremely present in all situations. When you are at work, be working. When you are with your family, be engaged. And when you are by yourself, invest in yourself; work out, work on your hobbies, learn something new. Our brains might not be muscles, but we do grow from challenges. Like Bill Belichick said, “Talent sets the floor, character sets the ceiling.” I don’t know how you develop character punching a clock to cuddle with your dog and binge-watching a Netflix series.

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Written by Kate Morgan