Do you believe in work life balance?
Annie Chopra
33 replies
Over the years I have read a lot about work/life balance. The best explanation of it I found was in Brendon Burchard's book - High Performance Habits where he says that work/life balance is not actually 50/50 at all but it is different for each individual person depending on where we are in life and what priorities we have. Ever since- I stopped trying to live by 'work/life' balance. However, even so, as a workaholic that became toxic. And so, now I don't let either one take over (basically if one is at 10% the body alarms go off that I need to fix it). I do find that integrating vacations and days off has been the most helpful in making me more holistically productive. what do you think?
Also, I am launching a product to help you stay productive and feel good! Anyone who has ever thought about work life balance is sure to find it useful https://www.producthunt.com/products/the-good-life-planner-digital-edition
Replies
André J@sentry_co
Work/Life balance is a myth IMO. What works for me is: "Work-life-integration"
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@sentry_co OOO I love that! can you expand more on it?
@annie_chopra Sure. It's pretty simple. You basically live your life around work. And stop working around your life. No pun intended. You basically look objectively at your life and ask. How can I get most out of my time spent working. And if you're lucky enough to have the option to work remotely, or hybrid. You can really be creative. And do whatever your mind, body and soul needs and wants to do to be effective. For me it's having no strict routine. But with all this flexibility and freedom comes responsibility. or it will be yanked from you. But in most cases if you figure out the work life integration recipe. You can probably be 2-3x and near the best version of your self.
I've struggled with this as well in the past, but now that I'm over 3 years in on the startup world I've got it more sorted.
Invest in side hobbies and different social circles.
There's nothing wrong in being ambitious about your product/startup and wanting to spend a lot of time on it.
But disconnecting actually does a lot of good. It refreshes the mind and gives you new ideas.
Invest in a new sport, art, volunteer, travel, friend group, hobby etc.
It also diversifies your energy and what you consider "important", which means that you also end up attributing less of who you are to the success of the startup/job.
@nicolaas_spijker Love these suggestions Nicolaas! I think too many people take 'be obsessed or be average' too seriously and I used to be one such person for sure. I love your input! I have loved integrating more reading and chilling time into my day to day life! So much so I even plan my days off so that I can make sure that I am not letting it go and scrolling all day long! :)
@annie_chopra Days off should be fun and something to look forward to and other interests definitely help with that. If you have nothing else then a day off just feels like wasted time you could be investing in your project/startup.
Happy to hear that reading has been a helpful add to your day-to-day!
Hunted Space
Launching soon!
Definitely! I think it is achievable if you set priorities right and manage your time effectively :)
@sandradjajic Absolutely, prioritize and balance!
Stronger relationships and social connections: Having time for family, friends, and hobbies helps build stronger relationships and provides a sense of support and belonging outside of work.
Subjectivity of the concept: What constitutes "balance" can vary greatly from person to person and depend on their individual circumstances, career goals, and personalities.
Bababot
Reduced burnout and turnover: Chronic overwork can lead to burnout and high employee turnover, which can be costly for businesses.
@kabir_haynes Completely true! Not just important personally but in the corporate manner and economically in the large scale too!
leonardo da vinci
You don't need to balance if you enjoy your work.
@aditya_chavan3 I think it really depends, because even loving your work too much can be unhealthy! I think everyone needs time to restore energy because no matter how much you love your work there are going to be times that will be trying and maintaining your health, wellness, can definitely help in such times.
leonardo da vinci
@annie_chopra it almost never feels like work. I'm a growth hacker so what I call work is essentially experiments where I and my clients we either win or learn something new. it's creative and scientific and results starts flowing instantly so just can't complain. + I'm travelling and working so it feels damn healthy
Of course I do!
Blocks
Sure I do, work-life balance is very important (as the practice have shown multiple times already) :)
Overall sense of fulfillment: A fulfilling life generally includes both professional and personal achievements. Work-life balance helps ensure that individuals can pursue both sides of their lives effectively.
@egon_tyrell 100% Agree, it's all about the feeling involved. Not just the tasks you complete- although those definitely help. That's the reason TGLP has worked for me and so many people ! it has sections that help you explore everything :)
Lancepilot
Hey Annie, Totally vibing with your take on work/life balance. The alarms at 10% are genius! Integrating vacations for holistic productivity is a power move. excited to check out your productivity-boosting product on PH. 👊
Lancepilot
@annie_chopra indeed, lets spread the words 🔥🔥
@istiakahmad Hey Istiak! Thanks! Yes, I do believe that holistic productivity is the future - I think people are finally over hustle culture and I am happy that I learned before it became a trend lol :P
Netjet.io, Free AI Website Builder
I find there are seasons of more work and seasons of less work.
@matteo_zumpano So true Matteo! And those oscillations are what make it easier to love our life!
Blurring lines between work and personal life: In today's digital age, it can be difficult to completely disconnect from work, even outside of office hours.
PixelFree Studio
I think there's a work/life balance. Just for me, it's similar as you do expect I'm not really struggling with being exhausted. I actually enjoy the time when I'm coding. After the work, I'm starting to be exhausted and realize what I did the whole day.
@mighty_muddy I had the same problem, I wouldn't actually notice I am depleted of energy until after, and at some point that led me to a burnout. Now I feel more intrinsically motivated than ever to do what I love and I always know when to take a break and include more aspects to life. :)
There's no work/life balance. There is life. Work is part of it. How big a part is individual.
Being holistically effective is important. The idea that things with change once we've achieved Big Goal X can be a mental trap. No one area of our lives can make us happy on it's own.
For entrepreneurs I think that support groups (and real friends) are really valuable. It helps maintain perspective.
Your approach to work/life balance, prioritizing holistic well-being and incorporating vacations, is commendable. Best of luck with your product launch!
@oisin_o_reilly thank you so much Oisin! You will enjoy TGLP if you like my approach as it really simplifies making your life good overall - I hope to see you on the launch :)