Work-life balance, doesn’t exist?
If we work to live, then we will never have balance. Big statement. As business owners, we have learned this and worked it out and share it with our clients. Life balance is a necessity for satisfaction, happiness, connection, and success.
Balance is variable, it goes up and down, ebbs and flows, supporting and managing. It’s an act of weighing scales take some here add there and back and forth it goes. If we focus on the adage of work first, then we don’t ever get balance.
Focus on LIFE balance as humans that’s why we are here to live our lives.
Our work is a part of a sum of NOT the entirety of our life. Our roles in that life are many, we all wear serval hats some at the same time. So, balance is what we do. Our business is NOT our life, our job is a role, not our life. It’s a choice we choose to do and make money to LIVE.
Let‘s throw ourselves straight in and seek some balance actions first before we really explore Life balance.
10 Ways to start creating balance
Only life balance exists not work-life balance. We fall into the society constructs of what work is, life is and then we form our boundaries from them.
If I don’t work 9 hours a day, then I am not contributing to xxxx
I should be…..
When I….
Balance comes from being able to assess, do, pause, think. That means we must be able to prioritise (in its simplest form).
Life balance requires work, self-awareness, purpose or at least working towards one, understanding, creating balance. Failing fast. Learning. Curiosity. Not conforming or at least asking why you do what you do. Focus. Energy and most of all truth on how you choose to make decisions, what you do, how you do it and being ready to accept what if you need to do something different?
This is the powerful combination of:
words + thoughts + actions + being + doing + values + belief= life balance
Most importantly it requires having belief and then believing it. Not just the words I believe, that means nothing unless attached to true intent.
This may seem it’s all about personal balance – it is. The change of thinking from work-life balance is that we are one whether that be work or personal life. A way to think about this is it is personal it’s about you. Life is our whole. We can explore specifics that can create in work life.
Balance in your work life
If you are leading teams, a business or have a role that means you handle other outputs creating balance in your life role models the actions for others to follow. If you reply to emails at 11 pm you can expect that you are demanding that others do the same- may not be your intention (or it may?) yet it pressurises others to behave the same changing their life balance. Your actions give permission to others to do the same so be very conscious and intentional for what you do and say.
6 ways to create better balance when you work
Summary
Balance can have many complications from a personal perspective thinking you should behave and work x number of hours to prove your dedication or demand of others. This is balanced and produces lower production ineffective collaboration, fear, worry, stress, anxiety when it’s not needed
We see this in many founder-led / startup businesses that founders don’t understand why their teams don’t work as hard as them- may seem obvious but they don’t connect to balance of life as an employee as they are vested more as a founder.
Balance overall is a personal choice and there are times we need to effectively work a few more hours than we may like, creating life balance means that you balance that time back to recover, rest, creative and strategic thinking time, review and reflect the time, being present IN your business and balance working ON your business.
Choosing to have a life balance is your decision. You can I any role. You live to your own expectations and if you live to other expectations then the balance is always going to be out of sync.
Life balance is about purpose and meaning.
Life balance is about honesty (most people do not work as hard as they say they do)
Life balance is about being effective
Life balance is about the ebbs and flows of real life
Life balance is about awareness, priorities, and realities.
Life balance s living within your means
Life balance is internal and not about external factors or material things (those are a bonus)
We know that work is not who we are, if you make it about you then reflect on the balance in your life and business. Life balance brings joy, engagement, interaction, positivity, support, results, and success.
Boosters to balance
Another resource is to use apps – technology is not about adding more time. Create awareness first and then act. Here are a few of our favourites right now at RLC.
Nara 72- connecting with nature in a unique way.
Paired- connect to your partner and restore or build balance.
Journify- start an audio log to help you focus and expel internal thoughts.
Wim Hoff (WHM)- learn to breathe properly and build balance and resilience
Remarkable- the ePad is a terrific way to self-organise and manage notes, planning in one place no more lost paper = balance.
References and research
https://blog.rescuetime.com/work-life-balance-study-2019/
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/w/work-life-balance
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-09139-w
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210302-why-work-life-balance-is-not-an-achievement
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0170840620934064?journalCode=ossa
https://www.jstor.org/stable/258214?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
https://www.christinecarter.com/the-sweet-spot-book/