It’s the last week of August and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one whose news feed is being hit with news feeds about work/life balance these days. Everyone is talking work/life balance, but are they living it and what does it mean anyway?
I particularly laughed when one of my LinkedIn Contacts who is constantly sharing work/life balance articles, emailed me at 8:46 p.m. on a Saturday …. Um, hello? What are you doing?
After I was done laughing, I took a step back and realized, maybe that is just how they are doing the work/life balance this week. Maybe they took a day off during the week. Maybe they knew they wouldn’t enjoy a family bbq on Sunday if they didn’t get work stuff out of their head. Maybe it’s none of my business about how someone else balances their work and life. Scratch that, it’s definitely none of my business.
I personally don’t care how others are doing the work/life balance (unless it clogs my newsfeed). For me, it’s all about working very hard, then taking time off in nature to recharge. After 26.5 years of practice as a lawyer, I know that if I can immerse myself on top of or under water (scuba diving) or take time to do a hike, even for one day on the weekend, I’m good to go, focussed and recharged. If that works for you, then follow along. If that doesn’t work for you: figure out what does.
However, never forget, there is a WORK in work/life balance and the more you work, the more interesting that life can be!
Inga B. Andriessen JD