Redefining what work life balance truly means.
Far too often we hear the cliché; “You have to create a healthy work life balance”.
Let’s be real, the more we as busy individuals try and create this proverbial work life balance, the more time we waste focusing on and defining something that doesn’t even exist.
Really and truly, what is work life balance? In reality, it’s what ever you want it to be.
Over the past decade the term work life balance has been over used, and in it’s over usage, too many people are trying to live within this false reality.
Balance, is when you feel in tune with yourself and everything is being handled or managed, it’s essentially a harmonious feeling.
Here’s something to consider; at any given moment in your life, something will take priority over something else, and that’s ok. Let me say that again — that’s ok, and, that’s exactly how it should be. With the many hats that we wear as individuals, society has many convinced that if you’re not multitasking, you’re not productive, successful or important.
To that I say stop it! Stop believing and living in that false reality, it’s not true. We must stop defining ourselves and our worth based on how packed our schedules are, and how long our to do list is.
Work life balance is something that one can never attain — if you define it as an equal 50 /50 split. Please don’t get caught up in attaining this fictitious work life balance phenomenon.
Acknowledging and owning that work life balance does not exist, is essential if you want to be and feel like a better you. A 50/50 “perfect” work life balance split just does not exist.
However, what does exist is CHOICE. Choice exists! Making the choice to intentionally choose, and commit to what you have chosen.
Here’s how YOU can activate it:
Consider this; sometimes work might take priority for a duration of time, and sometimes family may take priority for a bit of time. Be ok with that. Ensure that whatever is a priority for “you”, you intentionally choose it, and choose to put 150% of your focus on it for that period of time.
Once again here is the golden key; Make the choice to choose, and commit to what you have chosen.
I’ll use myself as an example; I’m an entrepreneur with 3 kids, who use to do 20 minutes work and 20 minutes family time, and go back and forth for most of the day. I’m committed to my business, but I’m also committed to my family.
I started to intentionally choose, and I stopped chasing something that I could never attain — the work life balance phenomena. I simply stopped living in it.
Here’s what happened for me; by choosing to spend 4 straight hours on my business, then shutting it down (laptop, stop responding to work calls, emails and texts etc.) and spending 3 hours with my family, I created balance as defined earlier on. Which now includes a calm me, a super happy me, a focused me, a committed me, who is super productive and commits to quality, because my mind and entire being is present in the moment.
Quality family time and quality work time — what is better than that.
It’s time to throw the conventional ideology of work life balance out the window, and, make the choice to always choose. That is how you create days that you wake up to with a smile, and, enjoy with an even bigger smile.
Choice is the new work life balance.
Originally published at medium.com