The internet is full of self-styled experts promoting work-life balance. You may have heard:
- You need a better work-life balance!
- Nobody lies on their deathbed wishing they’d worked harder!
- Work to live, don’t live to work!
But is this helpful advice? Or is it a fool’s errand? That all depends on you…
I think the term work-life balance creates a false dichotomy. Work is part of life; it’s not the opposite of life. For the vast majority of us, work puts food on the table. Above and beyond earning us money, work also has the potential to give great purpose and meaning to life. It’s worth noting work can take many forms, including public service and volunteering.
So, is there a better way to consider work in the context of life?
Work-life balance
Life balance, for me, is a more useful term. Have you found equilibrium between work, family, relationships, exercise, sleep, and the other facets of your complex life? Is your life balanced? I believe that’s a more useful measure of progress. Of course, that equilibrium won’t ever be stable. Your life balance will be in permanent flux. It’s for you to balance it, according to what feels right, and make the most of everything life has to offer.
To each their own life balance
Some lifestyle guru or other may tell you you should work no more than 40 hours a week, or less than 4 if you’re efficient, or at least 80 if you really care about your business. It should go without saying: life balance means totally different things to different people!
I’ve met entrepreneurs who work hard 7 days a week, for years, as founders of VC-backed startups. They don’t take holidays, they put relationships on the back burner, and they bloody love it! Most people, myself included, would be miserable if we tried to do that. I’d burn out. Does that mean we should cast these founders as toxic sociopaths? Not unless they force those habits on other people, no. They’re just different; not superhuman, not crazy – different. Most of them are probably perfectly nice people, who simply love their work. That’s what gets them out of bed in the morning – their source of meaning.
Equally, I know people who revel in doing as little work as humanly possible. To them work is a means to an end, and every minute spent at a screen is a minute they could be reading a book, playing with their kids, tending their garden; or doing absolutely nothing. I couldn’t do this either – I’d be tearing my hair out after a week. Should we cast these people as smug malingerers? Absolutely not, unless perhaps they make everyone else out to be workaholic drones! Again, they’re just different; not enlightened, not lazy – different. Most of them are probably rather agreeable people, who simply enjoy not working. That’s their purpose.
Life balance DIY
Naturally, there are countless variations of life balance besides those two examples. There are people who value family above all else, people who want to run marathons every day, and there’s you. Depending on your circumstances, you may find it more or less difficult to find the right life balance. Feel free to seek inspiration from lifestyle gurus, your colleagues, your friends – but don’t imitate them too closely. It’s no coincidence they each promote a lifestyle that suits them. Ultimately it’s up to you to design a life balance that suits you.
Balancing life in the workplace
Now, as a manager you also have a responsibility to your team. If you’re a founder or executive at a startup, the example you set will impact your employees – whether you like it or not. If you happen to be a happy workaholic, you need to be especially careful your behaviour doesn’t encourage destructive habits in others. Burnout is a real thing, and it has serious consequences. In too many tragic cases, overwork has literally driven people to suicide.
So please don’t organise Zoom calls on Sundays to make sure people are still “hustling”. Don’t celebrate people sleeping at the office to get shit done. And definitely don’t ever suggest to anyone that if they want to get ahead, they should be more like you. If they’re that way inclined, and they genuinely enjoy it, you can be sure they’ll do it anyway – you can’t stop them. But remember, it doesn’t in any way mean they’re better than employees who don’t burn the midnight oil. The truth is, you can only fairly assess your people on the value they add – not their working hours or how much of a go-getter they claim to be.
How’s your life balance? I’d love to hear your experience.