Work Balance

Life / Work Balance There have likely been thousands of articles, blogs, etc. written about balancing work and your life. I’ve been struggling to find balance between my work and life since I was in my early twenties. I could always be described as a ‘high achiever’. Since I was a young child, I have had strong internal motivation to work hard and do good work. At my first job out of college, I wanted to prove my worth. Little did I know that more work than could ever get done on a daily basis would be sent my way. I stayed late several nights a week just trying to keep pace. I began to resent my work a bit when my life became about my work. I didn’t have kids or even a dog to go home to, but I still wanted to have a life. I never found the balance in that job and continue to struggle throughout my career. This is especially true as technology allowed me to be connected to my work 24/7. I read many of the blogs and articles on work/life balance or work/life coordination and tried many tips and techniques. Some worked and some didn’t. Recently, I saw a quote by Rumi: Life is a balance of holding on and letting go. This rings true for me in how I look at balance both in my life and in my career. When feeling out of balance, I reflect on to what I am holding onto and ask if I should let it go. This statement applies to many different career-related areas: An individual can hold on to being a valuable member of a work team/company/etc. while letting go of perfectionist tendencies. An individual can hold on to meeting project deadlines and being responsive while letting go of checking work email on her phone all night and all weekend. An individual can hold on to enjoying a hobby while letting go of the pressure of turning the hobby into a new career. An individual can hold on to the value of their worth while letting go of the job opportunity they did not get. An individual can hold on to their integrity while letting go of the anger related to a conflict with a co-worker. As we think about balance and how it relates to our career, I challenge you to think about what you are holding on to, evaluate it and see if it is time to let it go. It’s not an easy practice as I can attest to. I hope you find it to be a useful exercise as well.