Work-Life Balance Is A Myth. This Is My Perspective.
By: Aldric Chen
Tags: Life Lessons, Reflections, Self Improvement, Thinking, Productivity

Work-Life Balance Is A Myth. This Is My Perspective.

When we see the words “Work” and “Life”, “Balance” pops into our heads without much thinking. Yup, “Work-Life Balance” has permeated the minds of many. It has become a lifestyle pursuit. However, there are many other ways of seeing work and life. Aldric Chen Follow Dec 26, 2020 · 4 min read

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

We do not always have to see work and life requiring balance. However, “Work-Life Balance” does have a natural appeal to us as it seems to suggest a time for everything.

There is time for work, and there is time for life. As a matter of philosophy, I think it brings equilibrium to our lives.

I believe that balance as equilibrium is over-emphasized over the quality of allocation we can have on our work and life.

Firstly, balance does not have to be reflected in a 9 am — 6 pm. Some people love to work. Some people want to be home on time.

We need some balance to that.

Then, we need some humility to understand that worthy ambitions cannot be achieved through balance. It is achieved through all-in effort.

Remember those days as a student? How do we rank ahead? We study daily, and for long hours. We study over the weekend and on public holidays too.

Is that obsession or balance?

If we have goals and ambitions to achieve, we need sacrifice. We determine if the sacrifice is well worth our time and effort. I believe it does.

We learn more about ourselves working hard compared to playing safe through balance.

Many entrepreneurs who are my peers do not subscribe to “Work-Life Balance”. Instead, they practice “Work-Life Integration”.

Let me give you two examples.

Joe — a fictitious name — does not allocate time for vacations. He sneaks in an hour or 2 to get up Victoria Peak when he is on a business trip to Hong Kong.

Sally — another fictitious name — does not stop work on Christmas. She sells festive cookies and pastries. She celebrates Christmas in January.

Do they feel mistreated by life? Are they upset that they do not have a “Work-Life Balance”?

No, they do not. They have a different form of balance reflected in work-life integration.

We have to accept that balance does not always work. Integration works well for some.

And then, I got curious. So, I asked Joe and Sally what they think about “Work-Life Balance”.

Their first response was within expectations. Naturally, they do not believe in it. The way they carry themselves is a testament.

The follow-up response was interesting.

Joe mentioned that his employees believed in it. He never understood. It was as if they got indoctrinated with that idea growing up.

“You know, working hard is no longer a given. People want the sure thing. They want to take more, give less.”

Sally was his choir mouse that evening.

And that got me thinking.

Could it be that we seek the proverbial “Work-Life Balance” because … we hate what we do?

And is that why we want to insert guardrails to our commitment to work?

It is food for thought.

I might be jumping the gun here, as this is my conjecture. This is what I think.

If this is an element of truth in this premature conjecture of mine — Please take time to reflect.

We spend the first 20 years of our lives studying. We spend the next 40 years of our prime working.

I cannot imagine working at a job I hate for 40 years. I cannot imagine the amount of grudge I will bear if all this amounts to paying the household bills.

And maybe, this is really a trigger. A trigger that blows the “Work-Life Balance” concept away.

If we have to work on a job we hate, yes, leave the workplace on time. At the same place, try to work on a side hustle after official work.

Build a business we believe in. It can be trading stocks, teaching people how to sell.

Because when it comes to 40 years of our prime, it is too much to work on a job we hate.

Find The Balance That Works For Us!

Aldric