Let's talk about...work/life "balance"

Whatever the hell that even means. I have heard it over and over, especially when I was involved heavily in network marketing. They absolutely sold this dream of having an amazing work/life balance and being able to make your own schedule and all of that. So many people sell this dream of a work/life balance and how you can make it happen and how people are leaning more towards having a better work life balance – as if any of us know what that means.

If you have a full time job, you spend 40+ hours per week, that is more time that you will spend at home awake on any week. And we typically maybe get a couple of weeks off per year. We are going to spend more time at work if we have a typical job, than we ever spend at home, so how can we get that balance? I think that is where network marketing likes to come in and offer a shorter work week and more time with your family – or even working from home so you can be with your family more.

However, if you are working for yourself in any capacity, you are most likely going to work more than 40 hours per week, it is never going to be part time, no matter what anyone tells you. If you work super hard, you can eventually hire others to take over what you are doing so you can work less. However, you are still the main responsibility holder no matter what the job it.

Now, is there something possible as a work/life balance? I mean, somewhat, right. We can take more intentional time at home, find a job where we can work from home and have more time with our families or drop down the commute time so we can spend more time at home. However, I don’t believe there is actual work/life balance. I don’t believe you can have the same amount of time working and at home. I think it shifts as we shift what we are doing. Sometimes the season we are in forces us to work more and get in more hours and maybe neglect home life a little bit. Then there are seasons of life where we are able to, or force to, focus on home life more and work life tends to fall away a bit.

This happened when our daughter was in the hospital. Work became the very last thing on my mind and had very little priority in my brain. I did get some work done and answered a few phone calls, however, it was not my priority at the time. My priority was my family and that was it.

I do not experience work/life balance ever, and I highly doubt I will, nor do I really believe it is a thing. I have experienced seasons were work was super important and I ended up making that my priority and I have experienced seasons were life was my priority and everything outside of work was more important.

I’d like to say that life is always more important. I want to believe I think this way and that if it came down to it, work would always take a backseat but that is never the case with me. I probably prioritize work too much and I am working on that. I want my life to be more important and 100% my priority especially now having a daughter and wanting most of my time to be devoted to her, it is just not my reality. I am working to have more quality time at home with her – and truth be told, I am not sure I am cut out to be with my daughter all the time and work does provide a little solitude and something I can still call all mine. However, I am working on cutting it down, and making sure the time I do spend in “life” is super quality time.

When it comes down to a work/life balance, I think I am just over the crap people try to sell that you can make it work and have this perfect balance of what your work and your life should look like when I truly think it comes down to seasons rather than a forever balance.

What are your thoughts on work/life balance? Do you think it is a thing or are you with me that it is more like seasons where one will be a priority over the other? I love to hear more on topics like this, reach out and let’s talk about it.