Photo Credit: Toast
I have long struggled with the concept of work-life balance. The notion of 'balance' in itself has always been a bit mystifying, elusive and incongruent with the reality of my squiggly life. Some days I struggle to even think about a walk around the block and my lunch consists of a cup of coffee. Other days, possibly out of desperation, I can barely bring myself to check email. My brain and body have temporarily quit on me as I reboot.
None of that has ever felt balanced.
Later in my career, I have what feels like the luxury of being able to protect my schedule. I guard a couple of days a week to fit in some yoga and prep food. So at the very least I can heat up something more nutritious than coffee. These are my “flexible” days, inspired by Paul Graham's concept of maker-time. I know with confidence each week that I have time to move key projects forward. And to literally move myself.
Without that space in my life, well, I would have no life.
I was recently asked about this topic by someone who needed guidance. By someone who was struggling to have a life. I found myself somewhat frozen in the spotlight of the question. I have never been intentional about prioritization. I err on the side of generosity and openness with my time. This has led me to places I never would have imagined. Literally. Like Antarctica speaking at a TedX. It’s also taken me down a lot of dead-ends and, I now appreciate, has in some cases wasted a lot of my time.
So how do we find balance?
We are all donkey-deep in this issue at the moment. Some of us are still WFH and juggling all manner of life-balls being thrown at us. For reals, it’s really hard to stay balanced while juggling. Others of us are back in the office (hello New Zealand peeps) and the struggle is now to implement the good stuff you were doing when you worked from home. It’s an easy slide back into the coffee-for-lunch realm. And we are all working with the added pressure of not really knowing how this will all conclude. How our jobs, business and even industry will change and evolve from this bizarre turn of (pandemic) events.
The next few posts will explore this topic. How do we optimize ourselves for growth in this moment without completely burning out? How do we, and can we even, set boundaries while staying open to new possibilities? My reflection is that this is more a matter of integration than balance. How can I integrate all the important component parts of my world so that I am kicking butt while not compromising my health, fitness, nutrition or my inbox. It’s a lofty goal...let’s see how we do.