If "work-life balance" is an illusion, what’s the practical alternative? My former colleague Michael Gilbert recently explored this issue in a two-part series that I found compelling. From :
Although I am firmly allied with the mission and spirit of all the
professionals and organizations who use the term "work-life balance" as
something to strive for, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s
fundamentally flawed, a dangerous trap, an all-around bad idea…The fact is that work is a part of life, not in opposition to it. The
fact is that what we all seek is joyful work-life integration, not some
sort of painful detente. The fact is that work-life balance is the sad
refuge of those who have decided that work is not worth saving.
In regard to this exploration of "work-life balance," what’s clear in
our discussion is that we have been using the word "balance" when what
we really seem to mean is "boundaries." Boundaries keep things in their
place. Balance suggests the same amount of two things on either side of
a scale. Boundaries keep one of those things from oozing past the edge
of its platter and taking over the other side…Boundaries and integration go together. Maybe it’s just the biologist
in me, but it seems that good boundaries are what make integration
work. Just as functional membranes (letting the right things through
and keeping the wrong things out) facilitate the healthy interaction of
the cells of our bodies, so do functional personal boundaries
facilitate the healthy interaction of the various parts of our lives.
Bad boundaries lead to either being overwhelmed or withdrawal. Good
boundaries lead to wholeness and synergy.
And coincidentally (or not), this is textbook-perfect practice for learning how to best identify, express and sustain boundaries in our working relationships. If we’re doing work that’s meaningful to us, we tend to feel caring and compassion for our colleagues and managers–and at the same time, we also feel frustrated and angry with them on a regular basis because of the professional demands that continually pull our lives out of balance.
Photos by bionicteaching and lemoncat1. Yay Flickr and Creative Commons.
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