Its Monday.
Anything can happen.
We released all the information on our upcoming February
meeting on work-life balance and we see an
article in
FastCompany calling work-life balance a myth (
Chappelow, 2012).
Really.
We can see his point. Balance is arbitrary and sounds good in theory. Its setting your own schedule, taking down time when you want to, picking and choosing what you want to work on. We agree - where do we sign up?
Chappelow states that we tend to think of this as balance act. We constantly move items from one side of the scale (WORK) to the other (LIFE) so we can maintain that level of balance.
What we really mean is control - as in the good and positive connotation for control. We are the deciders and decision makers in our lives. We set limits and boundaries. We let go of things. We say no. We recognize and accept that we cannot be everything to everyone all the time.
Control gets a bad rap; balance sounds nicer, softer and is more palatable. Its really a sliding scale (and yes, we are back to the scale imagery again). There's balance to control and there's control required to balance (if that makes any sense). Its an ability to manage ourselves, not to deny the fun of multitasking and juggling, because really, who doesn't wonder sometimes what would happen if one of those items you are juggling drops?
He offers some suggestions for getting started at taking control (or finding balance):
Shore up the home front - reduce stress
Quit complaining - reframe instead
Say no strategically - take control (find balance) prior to taking on a new project or job
We say let the ball drop. Its ok. Reduce stress. Say no. Let 2012 be the year that you want it to be by managing your life the way you want. If that means finding balance, going to your happy place, or taking control - do it. The choice is yours.
Reference
Chappelow, C. (2012, January 22). Work/life balance is a myth; here's what you can do about it.
FastCompany. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com