The Hardest Part of My Day

Let's explore commonly cited reasons why achieving work/life balance is hard. And then, we can talk about why we actually struggle with it.

1. Technology. Now more than ever, it is easy for people to find us, whether it be a text message, a phone call, an e-mail, or sliding into our DM's. All of which can happen outside of working hours. And true, the person messaging us may not expect a response, but we feel we must respond for some reason. Which is called…  

2. Guilt. We feel guilty for not responding right then and so we respond to get rid of that guilt. This guilt can also bleed over into our reluctance to take time off. This is why we have difficulty with…

3. Setting boundaries. Some people find it difficult to set boundaries between work and personal time, leading to an imbalance in their lives. And often, we don't even know we are violating our boundaries. For example, you are sitting there, watching your kids' gymnastics, and boom, your phone is in your hand, and you are checking e-mail. And why are we checking e-mail? Probably because we have an…

4. Increased workload. With the great resignation and layoffs, many are being asked to do more with less. This leads us to experience...

5. FOMO. People are starting to feel that if they don't put in the extra time at work, they could be viewed as 'not a team' player, or they start to rationalize that they are just grateful to have a job. Then, you also have to contend with…

6. Cultural norms. In some industries, careers, and even cities, working long hours is viewed as a badge of honor or 'this is what you signed up for.' Which is exacerbated by the fact that some places do not have….

7. Flexible work arrangements, such as remote work, flexible schedules, or mental health care, which can make balancing work and personal obligations difficult.

Ok, so why do we actually struggle with work/life balance? We need help with work/life balance because of how the statement is written. It is written that work happens first, and life is second. As a result, we start with work and fit life around it.

What if you wrote the statement as life/work balance instead? In that, life happens first, and work fits around it. 

Then, in practice, you would schedule meetings/obligations with your kids, spouse, and yourself, first. Then, you would schedule appointments with clients and co-workers second.

And the really hard part is that you would then protect and honor those commitments with your kids, spouse, and yourself just as fiercely as you do the meetings with your clients and co-workers.

Life/Work Balance.

Also, many have asked how our trip was celebrating our 10-year anniversary. It was such a great time; we spent the first part in AZ at the Waste Management Open and then went skiing for the first time, in Tahoe. I can proudly say we graduated from the bunny slopes to the greens and blues without any long-term physical or emotional damage to ourselves and our marriage.

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