January 25, 2010 by Robin Dickinson | 125 views | Comments (21)
Achieving a work-life balance
Notes:
The inspiration for this post came from a conversation I had with a colleague last week who told me he was “trying to find the balance between work and life”. It’s a lament I’ve heard many times in the past few years and certainly something I have thought about at length. So let’s talk about it.
Your thoughts…
As a leader who reads this blog, your input to this topic is valued and encouraged.
Feel free to use any or all of the following questions to stimulate your thinking:
Q1: Have you found a work-life balance?
Q2: How do you handle the work-life balance?
Q3: How has technology (e.g. mobile phone, Internet) affected your work-life balance?
Q4: In your opinion, what’s the future of the work-life balance?
21 Responses to this post
January 25, 2010 at 3:26 pm |
Hi Robin.. great conversation starter! I stopped calling it work-balance many years ago and resolved to call it life balance, because I believe work and life are intertwined and should be celebrated as such.
I used to say: ‘at any given time, my work is interrupting my personal life or my personal life is interrupting my work’ but that is not a very RADSMARTS way to look at things is it?
Now, I am proud I’ve built a business that I can run from home.. that I can dip in and out of whenever I have a moment. For me, nothing beats the feeling of getting many things done at once – like putting on a load of washing while having a conference call!!
And I think it’s a great thing to model for my children – that you can be industrious and a good homemaker all in one.
So – bring it on! Balance is so last century. Chaos is vitalising and fun.
January 26, 2010 at 12:00 pm |
Thanks, Yvonne.
The word that comes to mind when I read your comment is ‘harmony’.
You have, in a sense, harmonized who you are with what you do.
New tasks and activities, whether paid work, innovating, homemaking, leisure etc, are ‘harmonized’ into a highly productive, and dare I say it, enjoyable flow. Perhaps chaotic on the outside, but harmonious within.
Work-life harmony? Let’s see what others think.
So glad to have you visit, Yvonne. Your business is amazing and the innovative ways you lead online are totally worth following.
Best of days, Robin
January 25, 2010 at 3:36 pm |
PS. I held off on getting an iPhone because I worried it would tie me to my office too much. But the reverse has happened. I can go an entire weekend or many days on a break without turning on the computer now.. because I dip into my email via the iPhone and deal with only those things that are urgent.
January 29, 2010 at 5:15 am |
I’m due to upgrade my phone but worry about the intrusion such additional functionality may have into my life. I’ll add your useful comment into my retro thinking.
Thanks, Yvonne.
January 25, 2010 at 4:56 pm |
Hello Robin,
This is so topical given the fact that so many of us tweeting have offices and businesses run from home. That tends to naturally blur the distinctions between work and the rest.
What I have found is that my professional life and my personal life do seem to be lived on, largely, separate stages. They very rarely intersect. This was not by design but an organic occurrence that’s quite alright with me. It seems to make it easier to be in a work mode when I’m working. And, then, when I have a purely social event, I don’t really even think about work and very rarely discuss it socially. I never answer a business call when I am in a personal social situation and, in fact, rarely even have my cellphone on during those occasions. However, I will say that my social time in the last several years has diminished. By design? Or because I feel the need to continue what I’m doing with my business and not take the time to socialize? Many factors, I suppose.
Twitter has been a little different as I’m not tweeting in a purely professional context and, yet, try to keep the personal and political out of it for the most part, not always successfully.:-) Then, again, it IS social media, right?
I always feel rather a poseur answering a question addressed to “leaders”. I define my professional role as being the catalyst and champion of a leaderless organization. That’s also what I do with twitter – catalyze and consider that I’m neither “following” nor “followed”. And, with you, Robin, it’s your spirit of both instigating and collaborating that engages me.
I’m looking forward to reading another great discussion with all the interpretations and angles and iterations. Fascinating! Thanks for being the catalyst!
Best Regards, Kristina
January 26, 2010 at 12:19 pm |
Thanks, Kristina. You’ve put words to a lot of my feelings on this topic.
Like you, “my professional life and my personal life do seem to be lived on, largely, separate stages”. This is such a great way of putting it.
Take Twitter for example. The whole social media thing confused me for a while. So I started with a ‘professional stream’ – which is how we connected, and have only just recently started a ‘social stream’. I still wouldn’t call it personal, but certainly ‘non-professional’.
I find it easier to think in terms of personas – ‘social’, ‘professional’, ‘personal’ etc. Are any of these ‘me’? No. Just ways of expressing myself. My hobby is art – to paint and draw, and I’m not sure how to position this ‘artist’ persona yet.
It’s all a grand and very enjoyable experiment and time will tell.
My addressing ‘leaders’ on this blog is really acknowledging that for the most part, people on-line have followers, friends, subscribers etc, and I wanted to speak quite directly to that ‘leadership’ part of us – the part of us that others ARE following.
Secondly, in my opinion, most people don’t know how good they are, so anyone who finds their way to this blog, and contributes is someone who I’m proud to honour, respect and help in any way I can.
Thanks, Kristina.
Best always, Robin
January 25, 2010 at 11:57 pm |
Not a leader. Just a person. A person who is relatively new to ,and in, the world of online discussion and virtual (or real!) connections. A person who works. A wife and mother with two children. Someone who has (recently) found a way of bringing the two together (small whoop to self at this point!).
I take my kids to school. I go the office every day . I can indulge in the yummy mummy wholesome food gig if I wish. I network and win new clients. I still even find time to sneak a lunch or date with my husband now and then. I brainstorm with colleagues to work on new ways forward.
Pretty good huh?!
But balance… hmmmm…. I agree Yvonne about Balance being so last century!! I was going to say dull, boring, not forging ahead… balance is the median. The place in the middle. The place where all is calm, at rest.
Sometimes we need that – it restores us, gives us time to breath.
But is balance where greatness occurs? Maybe (probably) it is just me but for me my moments of real productivity, real joy, real excitement are when I am tipped off balance.
It may be in favour of work – when I meet new people. Create new campaigns, Think new things. Make strides forward in a tricky problem. At these times my family or home life may well come second, as I revel in the extra weight on the work side of life and push forward.
But, it may be in favour of home – when nativity plays win hands down over networking. When breakfast in the sun is so much better than sending off some early am email. When an illicit day off is just the right thing. When simply playing hooky is all that matters.
I guess new ways of communicating, email, twitter, even the (gasp) good old fashioned phone mean that when we are off-balance we don’t have to dip out all together. A weathered eye on the other side of the scales means that – should the above mentioned – chaos – occur it can be on our terms!
Work-Life Balance in the 21st Century? Not sure.
Maybe, in this brave new world, it is simply life?
January 26, 2010 at 1:13 pm |
Hi Sophy,
It’s a great pleasure to connect with you. I’ve read and reread your comment several times – it paints such a vivid picture.
“But is balance where greatness occurs?”
What a question. I love a good question, and that’s a beauty. It needs to be pondered and considered. No glib, rash responses.
Balance is firm-footing, solid and safe. It depends on having an equal distribution of weight – of effort. Balance is acceptable. Balance is bankable.
And yet, as the horizons of opportunity draw closer to our grasp than ever before, ‘balance’ may be the last thing we need.
I’ve never met a truly creative and innovative person who was balanced. Obsessed. Quirky. Extreme. Even slightly unhinged, but never balanced. Far from it.
It seems to me they met their genius at the extremities of life.
But now the discussion slides onto the thinner ice.
Here’s to ‘simply life’. What a marvelous coda.
Best of life, Robin
January 26, 2010 at 7:30 pm |
I am trying to maintain a work-life balance. But I did not succeed so far. If you earn money from your passion, then that becomes life-life balance. That is my ultimate goal.
January 29, 2010 at 5:20 am |
‘Life-life’ balance! That’s such a nice way of putting it.
Selcuk, I’m interested in your opinion – do you think that this whole ‘work-life’ balance idea is generational i.e. the younger generations tend to think ‘life-life’? If so, why do you think that is?
Thanks for contributing.
Best, Robin
January 29, 2010 at 7:07 am |
Exactly Robin. In my opinion, this “life-work balance” concept is being fade out as the years go by.
People around me at my age (25) is trying to merge the work into life, and trying to enjoy both of them more. Distinct seperation of these two creates a virtual pressure on daily life and time management.
January 26, 2010 at 8:22 pm |
Robin,
Indeed. Skating on thin ice is a WHOLE other question… but oh – if you make it safely to the other side – the exhilaration! It is beyond a sense of achievement, it transcends into power…. (what you do with that power however, again a WHOLE other question!)….
Thank you for such a thought provoking response… I have been battling with “simply life” for a while, and figure I will continueu to do so. I have equally been pondering the whole “social media” issue (I won’t go there- i blow SO hot and cold!
)
But, I do know I woke up early this morning thinking about this blog (and actually a pitch I am working on – and the two came together! How often does that happen… the fizzing of ideas for me so often happens at a clash of moments!) and interested to hear/see your response (if indeed I got one)…
And, that, for me, is the exciting part of social media . Real connections (whether fleeting or long term) across vast ponds of water (as I sit here on a dark and gloomy day in Devon – listening to Andy Murray play in Melbourne on radio – so close to you, finding your blog seems rathertimely! And BTW GO ANDY GO!). Learning, Listening. Finding out new paths, new adventures and dare I sat it – new ice flows…
So, for me, perhaps this is a thin ice moment (hopefully not one of madness)…
I look forward to reading this blog more – my brain is awhirl…
Thanks Robin, sleep well (I guess!)…:)
Sophy
January 29, 2010 at 5:23 am |
Well, you know what they say, Sophy “If you’re skating on thin ice, you might as well tap dance!”.
You create great visual images with your words – “Finding out new paths, new adventures and dare I sat it – new ice flows…”
Thank you,
Best, Robin
January 28, 2010 at 1:17 am |
Great questions…and interesting answers.
I’m with many…it’s not balance…that implies equilibrium that in my 20+ years of working has never happened…something is always taking precedence. This week it’s work as I’m traveling and my husband is home making sure the home front runs smoothly.
I like Sophy’s comment about chaos on our terms. I don’t picture it as chaos exactly but more as a a vibrant, lively, flowing life…that includes work, immediate family, extended family, friends, hobbies and downtime for none of these…just for me.
I’m not sure what we should call it officially. I’ve been using flexibility. Because life requires it. But I’m not sure that’s the best term either.
As for the 21st century…living on our own terms whether that be all work and no play (by choice) or more work and less concentration on others aspects of life is where we are headed.
So maybe we should use the word choice more…
January 29, 2010 at 5:45 am |
Welcome, Leanne. It’s wonderful to have your contribution.
The terminology is fascinating. I’ve always interpreted the term ‘balance’ in this context as highly subjective around one’s own life priorities.
If I work my guts out and get chronic fatigue syndrome – is unbalanced?
If I work my guts out and feel alive, joyful and on top of my game – is balance?
If I work my guts out and someone else thinks I should be spending more time doing something else with my life – is judgment?
Who’s to say what an unbalanced life looks like?
Your term ‘living on our own terms’ resonates with me. That said…
What is the role of family and the wider community is calling it when we perceive that a loved one has unbalanced the scales?
Great to connect with you, Leanne.
Best, Robin
January 28, 2010 at 2:20 am |
We can get so caught up in the semiotics of the word balance. Some love the word, others hate it. I use it because it’s a word that has currency and recognition in this conversation. How I define it is closer to words like “integration”, “symphony”, “flow”.
Do I have it? Sometimes. How do I handle it? I work from home and am accountable to myself for my time. Technology? Absolutely. Single largest contributor to my work+life balance. As for the future? I sat down with an amazing group of researchers, practitioners and commentators on this very topic yesterday and wrote my wish list for a corporate, social and legislative agenda just last week on my blog.
This issue IS the tinderbox that is Western corporate life. There’s a revolution going on and most people haven’t caught up yet with how or what to ask for. Ownership, personal responsibility, smart companies and supportive legislation are setting the world of work as we know it on fire.
Robin, thanks as always, for your great contribution and endless support of this my very favorite of topics.
January 29, 2010 at 5:33 am |
Thanks, Chrysula.
Your informed leadership and contribution to this “tinderbox that is Western corporate life” has caught my attention since we first connected. It’s a deep subject that twists and turns around danger zones and competing interests.
I applaud your work, done with such compassion and purpose. You make a difference and have impacted my thinking on this issue.
You won’t know this, but the illustration above was drawn last year after reading your blog. It triggered a bunch of thoughts and feelings in me, and my way of understanding and resolving such emotions is to draw them. So it’s wonderful to have you comment in response to this topic.
Best to you, Robin
January 29, 2010 at 2:26 pm |
Hello Robin,
I still don’t know what I think of this; I am sure it has different meaning for everyone. BUT I was just going through some old paperwork and came across a Nov 2004 report from The Australia Institute (www.tai.org.au) called “Take-the-Rest-of-the-Year-Off-Day”.
In a nutshell, it claims that we Aussies work more hours than the average worker in other industrialised countries. In fact, it claims that if we kept working the same number of hours each week that we currently do – and take our four weeks’ annual leave early in the year – we could stop work on November 20 each year and still manage to work the same number of hours as our counterparts in other countries.
Now, I like the sound of only working until Nov 20th each year – but at what cost?
Hmmm, you’ve got me thinking now…
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