Newspapers and magazines are full of stories about work-life balance — why it’s important, how to achieve it, and why so many people struggle to maintain it.
After years of work-life experiences, this may sound controversial, but a work-life balance is not a goal I would recommend aiming for. There is no such thing work-life balance but choice.
Here are some of the main problems with aiming for a work-life balance:
1. It’s almost impossible
Naturally, the busier you are, the harder it is to set time aside for yourself.
The idea of work-life balance is a problem because it gets people tied up in all sorts of knots.
We all become so focused on achieving this goal of a “balanced life” that it becomes one more stressful thing on our to-do list.
It sets us up for failure because it’s an impossible ambition for most people.
2. It’s unhelpful
There are periods in our life when working on investments or our business will consume much of our time. This is OK. In fact, it’s necessary.
If you’re passionate about your work then you can cope well with this kind of workload for as long as it’s necessary.
To strive for a work-life balance at this stage, would be foolish.
3. It makes people feel guilty
Time is precious for all of us so what we dedicate our time to has a real impact on the world and how successful we are.
Ideally, all of us would be able to dedicate time equally to family, friends, and our passions, but this is not going to be the case for most of the time.
Placing unrealistic expectations on ourselves just leads to feelings of guilt, which is not a productive emotion.
Nothing good comes out of feeling guilty all the time, and it certainly isn’t part of the psychology of success.
So what is the solution to this dilemma?
Change the mindset to find your passion and turn into profitable biz mode
It means instead of trying to balance work with hobbies or downtime, focus on using that time to strive towards what you love and what gives you meaning and fulfillment.
Some people would be miserable sitting around doing nothing.
In fact, many of the most successful people in the world work all the time.
They don’t have any kind of work-life balance, but this way of living gives them great pleasure (and success). They don’t worry about achieving a narrow idea of a work-life balance because their work is their life.
After years of work-life experiences, this may sound controversial, but a work-life balance is not a goal I would recommend aiming for. There is no such thing work-life balance but choice.
Here are some of the main problems with aiming for a work-life balance:
1. It’s almost impossible
Naturally, the busier you are, the harder it is to set time aside for yourself.
The idea of work-life balance is a problem because it gets people tied up in all sorts of knots.
We all become so focused on achieving this goal of a “balanced life” that it becomes one more stressful thing on our to-do list.
It sets us up for failure because it’s an impossible ambition for most people.
2. It’s unhelpful
There are periods in our life when working on investments or our business will consume much of our time. This is OK. In fact, it’s necessary.
If you’re passionate about your work then you can cope well with this kind of workload for as long as it’s necessary.
To strive for a work-life balance at this stage, would be foolish.
3. It makes people feel guilty
Time is precious for all of us so what we dedicate our time to has a real impact on the world and how successful we are.
Ideally, all of us would be able to dedicate time equally to family, friends, and our passions, but this is not going to be the case for most of the time.
Placing unrealistic expectations on ourselves just leads to feelings of guilt, which is not a productive emotion.
Nothing good comes out of feeling guilty all the time, and it certainly isn’t part of the psychology of success.
So what is the solution to this dilemma?
Change the mindset to find your passion and turn into profitable biz mode
It means instead of trying to balance work with hobbies or downtime, focus on using that time to strive towards what you love and what gives you meaning and fulfillment.
Some people would be miserable sitting around doing nothing.
In fact, many of the most successful people in the world work all the time.
They don’t have any kind of work-life balance, but this way of living gives them great pleasure (and success). They don’t worry about achieving a narrow idea of a work-life balance because their work is their life.
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