Work-Life Balance is a myth ; It doesn't exist for the average person.

Based on taking in all of Pro's round 1, the resolution solidified appears to be: Workers should demand a 24 hour work week so that work can be balanced more with leisure Technical note: Pro uses the term (all caps) LIVING to define that part of life that we get enjoyment out of. I will use this form for the sake of clarity & brevity. Contention 1: defining "LIVING" Pro's definition of LIVING is unfortunate and will cheat them out of the joy that is life. Defining tasks such as sleeping, commutes, hygiene, eating, cooking and exercise as not LIVING is the wrong approach. Those who enjoy life to it's fullest take advantage of the time at work to LIVE. Although this is highly dependent on chosen career, at the very least making friends and socializing is an important part of work. In fact, those who do so tend to work together more effectively leading to productivity gains, which will, in the long run, reduce work hours. Those who view life as only occurring outside of work are cheating themselves out of LIVING. I personally enjoy both the time leading up to sleep and the five minutes I give myself after waking before I get out of bed. Five minutes may stretch to ten (I set my alarm early) if I've had a dream worth pondering. The same general idea applies to commutes (I listen to favorite audio books), hygiene (who doesn't enjoy a hot shower on a cold day? ), and certainly eating and cooking (one of lifes great pleasures). Contention 2: natural trends in hours worked As Pro alludes to in round 1, work hours are much lower than in the past. In fact, works hours have been slowly and naturally, trending down for centuries. In the end, there are many ways that employers provide benefits to workers. These include health care, education, retirement, etc. The combination of these benefits reflects trends in productivity, which is driven by technological advances. Pro's desire for a extreme jump in time off can only be accomplished by extreme advances in productivity, that which has never been seen in history. Contention 3: life span We should also note another historic trend that works in favor of LIVING. We live longer so get more out of life already. Pro's asking for even more is to be understood as a natural human trait. The wanting of more is one trait that helped humans become the most successful animal on earth. It would seem that, despite once living short, brutish lives of nothing more than "work, eat and sleep", we naturally will always ask for more. Contention 4: hours worked as a choice To an extent, work hours is a choice. According to career site glassdoor. com, most employees don't even take the vacation they are entitled to: . http://www.glassdoor.com... In fact, 25% of employees take 25% or less of vacation time while only 25% take 100% of vacation time. If employees simply started taking all their vacation time and would push back a bit on hours per day, work hours per year would trend down somewhat faster (while other benefits trends would slow to counter this). Work hours is a choice in other ways. For example, while the pay isn't necessarily great, teachers generally have a leisurely summer. This is a choice one makes. Additionally, those who are trying to "climb the ladder" will work more than 40 hours a week. More choices. In summary, I sincerely hope Pro could see to take my advice and learn to LIVE life to it's fullest.