Many of us have come to understand the need for a good work-life balance. Some may have attained it but the majority hasn’t. We commonly think that having a healthy work-life balance means that life is sort of coasting along with ease. That’s totally untrue. In fact, having a healthy work-life balance can be difficult to navigate through, but when we get it right, we put ourselves in position to have success, rest and pleasure.
What Does True Work-Life Balance Look Like?
As I mentioned above, balance takes effort and intention. It doesn’t come by finding the right combination of life elements – job, hobbies, friends, etc… Really it comes by intentionally make sure that all of those things work together in your life. It’s very similar to how exercise works for our bodies. If we want to strengthen our muscles and become more stable, we have to put forth the effort and be intentionally about it. It doesn’t just happen on it’s own. Similarly, the elements of our life will work to weaken our work-life balance and it’s important that we take action and be intentional about keeping everything in the right place.
Additionally, balance doesn’t mean that you are coasting or resting all of the time. Having a good balance will certainly include quality time for rest and recuperation but really it comes down to spreading out your workload into a manageable schedule. Doing that takes effort and intention and there will be plenty of time where you’ll feel unrested. But, in order to rest well, you have to work hard when it’s time to work. If you’re trying to stay too low key and relaxed when you’re at work then you’re likely to lose momentum, fall behind and lose balance. Keep your pace up so that you can stay ahead of the ball. Sure, it means that you have to work hard, but it also means that you’ll be less stressed and your resting times won’t be filled with worry about catching up tomorrow.