Why Work-Life Balance Is a Lie
Work-life balance may not actually be attainable in today’s world, but author Jay Papasan shares what is. (Photo: Getty Images)
According to best-selling author Jay Papasan, work-life balance is a myth.
The concept has been around since the 80s. But now that technology has become so pervasive in today’s society, there is no longer a boundary between when we’re at work and when we’re at home. And when we hear or read the word “balance,” we tend to think of it as a destination (i.e., “If we just get organized enough, everything will fall into place and be perfect.”)
But work-life balance isn’t a destination. It’s a verb. It’s something we have to continually work on and practice actively — and that’s something Jay gets into in his new book, The One Thing.
Related: When Men And Women Talk About Work-Life Balance, Are We Talking About Different Things?
Work-life balance, in the way it’s idealized, is not possible. We all have things we need to get done, and sometimes we have to spread ourselves a little thin to accomplish it all.
When those time-consuming projects or commitments are happening, we tend to put aside other priorities, like our health, relationships, or spirituality. But here’s the thing: If we neglect those things for too long, we may derail any work we’ve done.
The trick is to be hyper-aware of when you are out of balance and actively seek counter-balance when those time-sucking commitments are completed.
Think about the last grueling project you had at work, the one that took you all week to finish it. Once it was complete, did you immediately move on to the next work project? Or did you take time to counterbalance that week you lost to work? Did you actively take time to re-focus your health, relationships, and spirituality?
If not, you should try it.
If we want to be excellent at work, we do need to be out of balance. The important thing is to purposefully take the time to counter-balance in the other areas of life.
For my full conversation with Jay, listen below:
For more on Jay, click here.
ABOUT LEWIS HOWES: Lewis is a pro-athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur who hosts the top-ranked podcast The School of Greatness. He interviews the best and brightest minds in health, entrepreneurship, relationships and lifestyle. Follow Lewis on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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