by ABFRLadmin | September 6, 2023
In the post-pandemic world, work-life balance has been an increasingly popular, with everyone interpreting it differently. But there are a few pressing questions that not many have answers to. Is there a rule book to achieve work-life balance? Is it a goal or is it a journey? Does it even really exist?
Heres busting 5 common myths about achieving work-life balance, and what you should focus on instead.
1. Myth: Work-life balance is 50-50 split of time between work and home.
Fact: Aim for quality over quantity.
If work-life balance means dividing time evenly between work and time spent at home, then it will be a lifetime of trying and not achieving anything tangible. In the real world, no two days are the same at work. Instead, concentrate your energy on the nature of time spent with family. More importantly, make time for yourself.
2. Myth: Work-life balance implies working for lesser hours.
Fact: Identify and acknowledge when it gets too much to handle.
Work-life balance is often mistaken for working for lesser hours. What it does imply, is finding time for yourself amidst a busy schedule. It is just as important to identify when work begins to feel overwhelming or leading to unhealthy amounts of stress and anxiety. It is equally important to set boundaries to ensure that feelings of stress and fatigue can be reduced or avoided.
3. Myth: There is quick fix to achieving work-life balance.
Fact: Work-life Balance is relative, with different meaning to different people.
There is no rule book that can guide you to successfully achieving work-life balance. Individual preferences and social dynamics make work-life balance a relative concept. For some, choosing to work for longer hours leads to feeling of satisfaction, while some find it necessary to take time out for themselves. Thus, its a journey one must navigate to achieve fruitful results.
4. Myth: Work-life balance refers to compartmentalizing your time.
Fact: Aiming and incorporating time for life outside of work is the goal.
Another common misconception is that work-life balance is achieved when you master the art of compartmentalizing your life. But it is only human for your work-life and personal life to overlap at some point. A bad day at work may get carried forward, resulting in a bad mood at home. Accepting that some days may be disorganised but consistently working towards finding time yourself aside from work and not letting it absorb and drain you should be the goal.
5. Myth: Work-life balance depends on your work environment.
Fact: One must take responsibility to incorporate work-life balance.
Hoping your work environment helps you achieve work-life balance only shifts the responsibility away from yourself. Often long work hours or similar issues are far beyond our control and almost inevitable. It then becomes our responsibility to learn to find calm within the chaos. Only once you take the responsibility to make time for yourself, will you find yourself making actual progress.
With these myths busted, we hope to see you find what celebrates your individuality, outside of work this year!
