What is a "Work-Life Balance"?
Work-Life Balance. You hear it all of the time.
A phrase used so often in today’s working world, but what does it mean? Does everyone have a work-life balance? How do you obtain the PERFECT work-life balance? These are some of the most common questions asked when determining what makes this balance possible, if at all.
Let’s try and answer the first question, “what is the perfect definition of a work-life balance?”. Trick question. There is no perfect way to define a work-life balance that everyone would unanimously agree with. This is because we are all different and what works for me, might not work for you. Some people prefer to work in an office from 9-5 and stay strictly within that timeframe while others prefer wake up early to answer emails, take care of a few personal items during the day and work into the evening. It is ok that your working style isn’t the same as your friends or those in positions where you aspire to be. Instead of coming up with the perfect definition, I’ll run through my personal thoughts on this phrase and we can go from there. I’d love for you to provide your thoughts in the comments or contact me to learn more!
I am an extrovert. There is no doubt about it. I love to be out & about as often as possible, talking to new and old friends every day. I don’t like to be in the same place all day. A lot of this rationale is what led me to starting this business in the first place. I wanted to work within a time frame that worked for me, not the typical 9-5 that many abide by. Some want to work strictly Monday-Friday while I don’t mind getting things done on the weekend as well. Some of my closest friends still make fun of me for this, but when I was younger I disliked going to movie theaters because I couldn’t sit still. I would get so bored after a few minutes of staying in one place that I’d end up walking around the theater until the movie ended. For me, my perfect work-life balance is one that gives me the opportunity to work in a manner that is most efficient for me while also allowing me to explore and move around without being in one place for so long. I value my family and friends more than anything in the world and making sure that I have time to take a step back is important to me. This weeks photo for this blog is a photo I took while on a walk with Lucy. I had a conference call that I knew was going to last an hour and I wasn’t going to need anything on my computer that I couldn’t get on my phone. Rather than sitting behind my desk, I decided to put on my headphones and walk Lucy around Pittsburgh while working. They say walking for just 5 minutes is great for your brain & the chance to enjoy some fresh air while being productive was very refreshing for me. IT IS POSSIBLE to have a work-life balance in your life, you just need to know what works for you and hold yourself accountable. If you are not someone who is good with self-discipline, you may struggle working from a home office. If you fall in to this category, I’d love to hear from you!
I have had past jobs that offered great work-life balance opportunities, while I had others who did not value having a personal life. It happens. For me, owning my own business means there is a lot of overlap between my personal & professional life, both of which are extremely important. I love a remote work environment because I am the type of person who can wake up before sunrise and work for a few hours, take some personal time during the day and get back to work in the evening. Of course things can change every day and I keep plenty of flexibility on my calendar if I need to make adjustments. My clients come first and I do my best to work around their schedules when I need to and I have found that my working style affords more opportunity to create flexibility to my clients because I don’t necessarily have a set “working time” and “off time”.
When it comes to YOUR definition of the perfect work-life balance, here are a few of my personal tips:
Family First
It is easy to get lost in your work. Work is important. It puts food on the table. However, don’t get yourself to a point where you are either stressing yourself out so significantly that you can’t enjoy your personal time with your family & friends. Know where your priorities lie and don’t forget where you came from. Long after you are gone, you will be remembered for the type of person you were and the type of presence you had when you were around. Don’t be remembered as the person who missed their friends wedding, grandmother’s birthday, nephew’s championship basketball game, etc., because you thought you had to be in the office, “just because”. Work is important but nobody is going to remember the deal you closed when you’re gone but they sure as hell will remember you being on your phone all night during your daughter’s Bat-Mitzvah trying to close that deal.
Take Time for Yourself
It is very possible to overwork yourself into misery and depression. I know. I’ve been there. I got to a point in past roles where I overworked myself to oblivion. I didn’t give myself enough opportunity to take a step back, put my phone/computer away and enjoy the present. When I started my business I made a promise to myself that I would take time for myself to step away from work, even if just for a few minutes or to walk my dog around the block without any interruptions to live in the moment. If you are working in a job that doesn’t value your personal life, you may need to explore making some adjustments. YOU are your most important asset, prioritize your values accordingly.
It's OKAY to not be okay
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Having a great work-life balance means evaluating yourself when you need to so you can always be at your best. We all have bad days. The key is to recognize where you are in life and where your mental state is to make sure you can continue to build a successful career without sacrificing your personal health. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone if you think you need to. I don’t care what Instagram might make you think about how happy and perfect some people are. EVERYONE has a bad day every so often. It’s how you respond to that bad day that makes all the difference.
Exercise
I almost wanted to make this my #1 tip because I believe exercise is extremely undervalued. How often have you said “I don’t have time to work out”? It’s an excuse. No matter how busy you are you always find time to eat & sleep, so why not find time to exercise your body & mind as well? When I was in college I used to think the only time to work-out was in the afternoon after I could get a few meals in me. I then got an awakening in the real-world when I was working 8-5 most weekdays and had the same excuse. My physical health suffered until I accepted that this was not going to become the new normal for me. I found a gym that was open at 5am and I made it work. It was rough at first but after a few weeks it became my new normal. Let me be clear, “exercise” does not mean you have to go to a gym and pay a membership to make this work. Ride your bike to work, walk to lunch, find a way to build a morning or evening walk into your daily routine until it becomes normal. If you feel better inside, it will help the rest of things fall into place for you. Do you think there is absolutely no way you could fit this exercise time in to your current lifestyle? I challenge you to reach out to me so I can help you make it work.
Stop Wasting Time with Toxicity
If I asked you to pull out a pen and paper right now and write down anything in your life that you might consider to be “toxic”, how many pieces of paper would you go through? This could be anything. It could be unhealthy eating habits that negatively impact your physical health or surrounding yourself with people who bring you down and negatively impact your mental health. It could be a grudge you are holding that eats away at you every day or wishing you could reconnect with an old friend. This won’t be fixed in a day, but take time and start writing down things in your life that you consider to be toxic and devise a plan to eliminate that toxicity. I use the “Notes” app in my phone. Once you are in a place where you rid yourself of things that are hurting you, you will be on your path to a much happier, balanced life. You will be able to prioritize work, family, friends and yourself without having to worry about the things that bring you down.
At the end of the day, even if you don’t believe so, you control your destiny and you are fully in control of making things work for YOU. I am not advocating for ANYBODY to walk into their bosses office after reading this and demand an extra hour during the day to work out or threatening to quit if you can’t be given working hours that you specifically want. I am advocating for you to first determine what would define your perfect work-life balance and then work backwards to get yourself there. Eliminate the things that are holding you back and increase the things that make you feel better. Talk to your boss/supervisor about your needs and what would help you be the most productive person you could be. If you don’t think your boss/supervisor would be responsive to that type of conversation, that is a red flag. If you are a boss/supervisor, make sure you are letting your staff know their personal needs are a top priority of yours. Work for someone who wants you to be the best version of you. It’s going to take some time, but you’ll get there.
- Andrew