Work-Life Balance…Is It Even Possible?
Can a simple mindset shift change the way you think about work and life? Does it have to be such a balancing act?
How many times have you told yourself that you need to find more balance in your life?
Somehow you need to figure out a way to balance work life and your personal life.
Maybe you’re like many women who say this to themselves every single week. Usually on Friday at 6 pm when you’re still in front of a computer. Or sitting at a boardroom table wondering when the day’s going to finish.
Maybe you’ve even been saying it to yourself for years.
And yet here we are, still struggling with getting that darn balance!
It can certainly feel a lot harder than learning to ride a bike. And unlike riding a bike, once you master work-life balance, you have to stay vigilant. Because you can easily unlearn it. Or at least forget about all your good intentions.
Work-life balance is something we hear about all the time.
It’s a hot topic mostly because we’re all finding it so difficult to achieve. But maybe we’re thinking about it the wrong way.
Work-Life Balance is About More Than Productivity
We’re told by Human Resource experts that you can’t expect people to grind away at work anymore.
We can’t ask our employees or co-workers to work so hard that their personal lives suffer. Leaders are told that if they are wise they’ll take care to ensure their employees enjoy a balanced life.
This, we’re assured, improves productivity.
But lost in this discussion of productivity is the true meaning of work-life balance. Measuring time spent on ‘work’ and time spent on ‘life’ and attempting to make them near equal, is not necessarily the way to achieve balance.
Instead, what is needed is fulfillment in both areas.
Find Fulfillment at Work
For fulfillment in ‘work,’ there needs to be a good balance between the various activities involved in work.
Teaching, for example, attracts people who love to interact with students, to create, to discuss, and to innovate. But these same people are required to perform tasks that rarely suit their temperament.
They’re asked to cover classes, write reports, fill in forms, do playground duty, and follow Ministry guidelines.
While these tasks are not fulfilling, the vast majority of the other work is.
This is great news because it means you can find that work-life balance you crave. If you can minimize the work you do that isn’t fulfilling and maximize the time you spend working in your zone of genius, you’re halfway there.
The next step is to make sure you get enough me time.
If you love your work, you bring that feeling of caring with you wherever you go. It never stops. It’s with you wherever you are and whatever the time of day (or night). It is just a part of ‘who you are!’
But teachers, like everyone who works, need to have a personal life.
Everyone who works–no matter how much they love their work needs the following:
Quality family/relationship time
Time to pursue hobbies and other creative outlets
Time to refresh your mind and body
Mindset Shift: Work and Life Are Not Separate
Feeling fulfilled at the end of every day will come more easily if there is alignment in our personal and professional lives.
If your work is miserable, you’ll be hard-pressed to find balance when you go home. The opposite is true, as well.
When your personal and professional life are both aligned with your values and skills, work and life can be unified. Neither category feels like ‘work’ as we come to the realization that our lives are whole just as they are.
The mindset shift you need to consider is this: you have just one life. Everything is connected.
If work isn’t work, then everything can just be life.
But listen, this doesn’t mean that once we get in alignment, we’re magically healed from our propensity to give too much to others and not take care of ourselves.
We’ll still need to follow Michelle Obama’s advice and “do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.”
Hi! I’m Amanda Da Silva.
I’m a mother of two boys, a wife, daughter, teacher, entrepreneur, former independent school CEO, and life-long learner. I’m all about personal growth, community 💕, and being of service. (Find out more about me here.) In addition to being passionate about personal development, I’m an educator and coach with 20-years experience teaching and leading in the BC school system. I have a B.Hkin, B.Ed, and M.Ed, specializing in leadership and administration. Creating community and leading thriving teams are two of my favourite things to do. I also love helping people live empowered and growth-oriented lives.
I hope you’ll join me as we build our success together! 🙌
