Work Life Balance the biggest misconception regarding work-life balance. The hard truth is that balance doesn't exist.
No matter how hard you try, there will be times when work bleeds into your personal life and vice versa. Just because you clock out for the day doesn't mean that your 100 percent free from work. You may still have to respond to an email or review your schedule. As an entrepreneur, you're always thinking about work in some capacity.
Another myth is that life needs to be compartmentalized. For example, it's dividing our days into 8-8-8-hour blocks. This longstanding mentality is that we should spend eight hours at work, sleep for another eight, and set aside eight hours for leisure and social activities.
The thing is that it's not possible to evenly divide your time like this. There will be days when you put in 10 hours of work. The tradeoff is that there will be others when you only work for a couple of hours.
Instead of forcing yourself to compartmentalize your life, devote the right amount of time on your current priorities. If you're approaching a deadline, then you may need to put in long hours working. You may miss out on quality time with your family and friends now. However, when you meet that deadline and celebrate with a vacation, then that's when you make up that quality time.
Don’t fall for the trap that you can have it all or doing everything that you want by yourself. Even if you have created a schedule that allows you to exercise, spend time with your inner circle and get all your work done, you're still making a sacrifice somewhere. If I want to help my business grow, then I will have to travel frequently. Whether it is to check in on my remote team or speaking at a conference, I will be out of town and unable to spend that time with my family.
If balance doesn’t exist, then what is the solution?
Time management is the answer. I'm all for time management. I wish I could completely unplug to free me of distractions or unwind. The reality is that as a loan officer, I can't go completely off the grid. To counter this, you must be selective with how you spend your time. That means spending your energy on the right actions at the right time.
Automation has made life much more comfortable. However, it's not guaranteed to add more hours to your day magically. I wake up at 4:15 am. A lot of successful people do. The idea is that if you're up bright and early, you have more time to get things done. As a result, you'll have more time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
But that doesn't work for everyone. Some people are more productive at night. Also, whether you realize it or not, you're adding more work hours to your day. That's not terrible when there's a deadline or a fire to put out. But that's not good for the long-term cause you're going to burn yourself out.
The key is to work around your productivity peaks. So, if you're more alert and focused around 10 a.m., then it may not be beneficial to set your alarm at 4 a.m.
Just because you're able to crank out all your work in 20 hours doesn't mean that you'll be happy. I know plenty of people you don't put in excessive hours who are miserable. And some folks don't mind putting in 40 plus hours a week.
In other words, it's not about how many hours you work or do something you love. It's about the quality of how you're spending your time.
If you're happy outside of work, then you'll be more productive and energized in the workplace. And, if you're fulfilled with your work, then you're more content at home. It’s all about work-life harmony!
“I think work-life harmony is a good framework, I prefer the word "harmony' to the word "balance' because balance tends to imply a strict tradeoff." – Jeff Bezos
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