Why work life balance matters

I don't know about you but when I was working in the corporate world the mantra to "achieve work life balance" felt like just another "should", something else on my "to do" list that I never got round to doing.  Something management exhorted you to do - but rarely got round to helping you with.  A reminder that you couldn't be all that good at your job really ('well you've got it all done but look how awful your work life balance is').  Some elusive perfect state of balance that the shiny happy people enjoyed, out of reach to us mere mortals. 

I was only able to take meaningful action on my work life balance when I realised there was no perfect state, no objective balance that I had to achieve or else be judged on.  It was just one of those things that could contribute to a wider objective - looking after me.  (Try putting this at the top of  your 'to do' list and see what difference it makes to your day...)

Putting work life balance into the box labelled "looking after me" meant I could work out why it mattered to  to me - not as an end in itself but because it gave me better health, a sense of well-being, a sense of humour, energy, a good night's sleep, whatever.  The important thing is that it's what you want, not what someone else says you 'should' do.

I was reminded of this by a post from Darren Rowse about keeping grumpiness at bay, including a great visual on what happens to his grumpiness levels when work-life balance gets out of synch...

So for him the objective is not being a grumpy old blogger.  Mine was being a senior manager who always made time for people - but didn't exhaust myself in the process.

Don't let the work life balance thing get you down.  No else can judge how 'good' your work life balance is.  Try using it as a barometer, a gauge of what's going on in relation to the bigger picture - at work, at home, inside yourself, when you go to sleep at night, with your children or partner...

Your graph.  Your story.  The only balance that matters is the one that works for you.