For years the definition of Work Life Balance has been called, “A concept that supports the effort of people to split their time and energy evenly between work and the various aspects of their life.” It also asks us to make time for family, friends, spirituality, personal growth, self-care and other personal activities in addition to the demands of the workplace. Over the years this definition of Work Life Balance has created a lot of stress and worry for us because it’s so unrealistic. It’s time to look at Work Life Balance differently, in a way that doesn’t create stress and worry.
First of all, we have just one Life. Things overlap. You can’t make everything equal and the same, because it’s just not. AND at one time or another, something will always need more attention than the other. That’s because Life is not set up to be balanced. It’s just too full of unpredictability and change. Work Life Balance is a Myth. There is no such thing anymore. It was a concept that was created back in the 70’s when life wasn’t quite so chaotic.
In fact, the term Work life Balance is now being called Work Life Sway. What is Work Life Sway?
Work Life Sway is the act of being more fluid, purposeful, and going with the flow. Sway is also a more accurate reflection of what all working people actually do these days.
Once we can accept that interruptions and unpredictability will always cause swaying, we can be OK with it. After all, this is part of going with the flow. Here’s a quote by the 20th Century Visionary Buck Minster Fuller. He said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
I, for one, am glad that we are setting aside this outdated definition of work life balance and the stress and worry it created for a lot of people. Here’s a tip: stop using the word “balance” and use the word “sway” instead to describe how you’re managing your life. Until next time go out and make that happen.
